Medications for early onset bipolar illness: new drug update

The diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with Early Onset Bipolar Disorder (EOBD) constitutes one of the more controversial areas of child psychiatry today. Diagnosis is problematic because of overlapping symptom profiles with other childhood psychiatric disorders, some of which may be occurring co-morbidly. Attempts to deal with problematic behavioral patterns often lead to students receiving multiple psychotropic medications in addition to the mainstays of bipolar treatment, namely, mood stabilizers or thymolytics. The school nurse plays an important role in helping to identify and record behaviors which can assist in clarifying diagnoses and in monitoring responses to medications. The nurse's participation in educating and assisting these students to understand and optimize their drug therapy is critical to positive therapeutic outcomes.