Nursing children and adolescents with bipolar disorder: assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management.
OBJECTIVE
The role of the mental health nurse in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder in community and hospital settings.


OBJECTIVE
In many areas of clinical practice, mental health nurses have more contact with service users than any other professional group. They are therefore well placed to support children and adolescents with bipolar disorder during first contact with primary care services, through engagement with specialist mental health services, and in accessing early intervention and crisis services. This paper summarizes the contribution that child and adolescent mental health nurses make to the care of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder.


METHODS
This paper is based on evidence from systematic reviews; meta-analyses and best practice evidence from CINAHL; EMBASE; MEDLINE, PsychINFO; Cochrane Collaboration; National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health; NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination; Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine; United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.


CONCLUSIONS
Child and adolescent mental health nurses work with children and adolescents who have bipolar disorder in a range of settings. These include community mental health services, hospitals, and schools. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the treatment and management of bipolar disorder during childhood and adolescence, nurses have a major role to play in providing frontline assessment services, monitoring treatment, and delivering psychosocial interventions.
McDougall
Tim
T
Cheshire & Wirral Foundation NHS Trust, Cheshire, UK. tim.mcdougall@cwp.nhs.uk
D000293:Adolescent; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012308:Risk Management; D012944:Social Support; D013405:Suicide
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs