Bipolar Spectrum Disorder is rare among children. But for parents who may have concerns about their youngster’s behavior, Dr. Ellen Leibenluft talks about possible warning signs. Dr. Leibenluft is Senior Investigator and Chief of the Bipolar Spectrum Disorder Section at the National Institute of Mental Health.

Nanci - The Balanced Mind Foundation 
I'm very pleased to introduce our guest expert today, Dr. Ellen Leibenluft. Dr. Leibenluft received her B.A. from Yale University in 1974 and an M.D. from Stanford University in 1978. After completing residency training at Georgetown University Hospital, she served on the faculty there as director of the psychiatric inpatient unit and day hospital. She then came to the NIMH, where she conducted research on bipolar disorder. In particular, her publications focus on rapid cycling bipolar disorder (a severe form of the illness) and on the role of the sleep-wake cycle in the illness. She has also written and spoken widely on gender differences in the prevalence and symptomatology of mood disorders. She is now actively involved in research on bipolar disorder in children and adolescents, with a particular emphasis on differences between children and adults in the presentation of the illness; neural mechanisms underlying the symptoms of the illness; and the development of new treatment strategies for early-onset bipolar disorder.

Nanci - The Balanced Mind Foundation 
Dr. Leibenluft, would you like to start out by talking about the research that you are doing with the NIMH?

Dr. Ellen Leibenluft

First, I want to say that it’s a pleasure to be here "chatting" with you all. Our research is focused on the brain mechanisms that underlie bipolar disorder in children, and also very severe irritability. We hope that these studies will move us closer to better treatments and even prevention of the illness. We are also interested in children with have a sibling or parent with bipolar disorder, and therefore are at risk for the illness.