Bipolar Disorder in Teens

Bipolar disorder usually begins during adolescence or early adulthood, but it takes on average 10 years between the onset of symptoms and correct diagnosis and treatment.  A recent article in the New York Times looks more deeply into the issues and controversies surrounding early diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder. Dr. Boris Birmaher, professor of psychiatry at the University of …

Screen Time, Teenagers, and Depression

Is there a link between teenagers’ use of electronic devises and depression? Well, it’s complicated. A new study analyzing data from high school students in Montreal has found a significant link between increased “screen time” and an increase in depressive symptoms.  Interestingly, the increase in depression is linked to television and social media use, but not to video gaming.  Researchers …

Family Therapy Effective for Bipolar Teenagers

Family Therapy– Family-focused treatments have been shown to be effective adjunctive therapy to mood stabilizing medicine in adults with bipolar disorder (especially young, female adults), but whether this approach holds true in adolescents, has been unclear. Researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) assessed 145 adolescents with bipolar disorder to see if adding 9 months of family …

Saliva Test Identifies Teens at Risk for Major Depression

The Associated Press (2/18, Cheng) reported that according to a study published online Feb. 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, “a saliva test for teens, specifically boys with mild symptoms of depression could help identify those who will later develop major depression.” The study involved more than 1,800 teenagers aged 12 to 19. Researchers used a …