Treatments and Services Provided to Children Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
To better understand the types and quantity of mental health services and medication usage for youth diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD) within an integrated healthcare system, medical records were reviewed from 2000 to 2011. Eighty-five youth diagnosed with BD were identified and healthcare services (medication and psychotherapy follow-up appointments, emergency room (ER) visits, admissions, phone contacts) and visit-related details (medication usage) were abstracted for 2 years after initial BD diagnosis. Despite complex medication regimens (91.7 and 81.2 % received mood stabilizers and antipsychotic agents, respectively), medication appointments were infrequent, averaging 1 visit every 2 months. Only 36 (42 %) of 85 youth were noted to receive psychotherapy services following BD diagnosis, also averaging 1 visit every 2 months. Most (58.8 %) patients needed one or more hospitalizations during the follow-up period; nearly half (48.2 %) had psychiatric ER visits. The relative lack of psychotherapy and infrequent follow-up visits suggests need for improvement to optimize healthcare delivery.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA. jennifervandevoort@gmail.com.
Jennifer L
0000-0002-3630-4773
JL
Vande Voort
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA.
Amandeep
A
Singh
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Julio
J
Bernardi
PrairieCare Medical Group, University of Minnesota Medical School Affiliate, Rochester, MN, USA.
Christopher A
CA
Wall
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
Cosima C
CC
Swintak
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
Kathryn M
KM
Schak
The REACH Institute, New York, NY, USA.
Peter S
PS
Jensen
D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services; D011613:Psychotherapy
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents
Pediatric bipolar disorder; Quality of care; Services; Treatments