
UPMC’s Inpatient Child and Adolescent Bipolar Services Program Receives National Honor for Technology Efforts
Each year, the National Council’s Impact Awards specifically recognize excellence in delivering treatment and community support to individuals with mental illness and addiction disorders.
“We are honored to receive this prestigious award and grateful for the attention on children and adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders,” said
Rasim Somer Diler, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at the
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and medical director of inpatient child and adolescent bipolar services. “The condition causes symptoms of recurrent mood swings between depression and mania, and is linked with an increased risk for suicide, hospitalizations, school and legal problems. One of IN-CABS’ primary goals is to incorporate technology to be better able to identify, diagnose and treat this extremely debilitating disorder.”
The program uses technology in a variety of ways, including a quality project funded by the
Beckwith Institute’s Clinical Transformation Program to help adolescents track their mood and energy daily through an electronic monitoring program, which in turn fosters mutual decision making among children, parents and clinicians about best treatment interventions. IN-CABS employs wrist-band devices to measure daily activity levels and sleep, and students and professionals receive training in how to blend health information technology with assessments, pharmacological treatment and psychosocial interventions.
IN-CABS, an integrated acute care program that bridges clinical innovation with evidence-based practices in the hospital, was established five years ago and has served more than 400 individuals. It is the nation’s first inpatient facility for diagnosing and treating bipolar spectrum disorders in adolescents, aimed at facilitating early identification and treatment of bipolar spectrum disorders in adolescents starting with their initial visit to WPIC’s emergency department.
In addition to recognizing the innovative care and educational services provided by the IN-CABS faculty and staff, the Impact Award also provides a cash prize that will be donated to a nonprofit organization chosen by the winner.
The Impact Award is the latest in a series of six awards bestowed on the IN-CABS program, in light of its dedication to serving children with bipolar disorder, including the innovation in mental health award in 2013 from the Pennsylvania Rehabilitation and Providers Association.