Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • Behavioral Health >
  • ... >
  • Our Programs >
  • Child & Teen Mental Health >
  • Child and Adolescent Bipolar Services (CABS)
Behavioral Health
About Us
Our Experts
Our Locations
Our Programs
Addiction Medicine
Adult
Autism
Child and Adolescent
ADHD Services
Child and Adolescent Bipolar Services (CABS)
Matilda Theiss Trauma and Early Childhood Behavioral Health
Pediatric Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Program
Teen Depression, Anxiety, and Suicide
Child & Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Programs
Teen Partial Hospitalization Program
Eating Disorder Programs
Emergency and Crisis Services
Geriatrics
Serious Mental Illness Programs
Behavioral Health
About Us
Our Experts
Our Locations
Our Programs
Addiction Medicine
Adult
Autism
Child and Adolescent
ADHD Services
Child and Adolescent Bipolar Services (CABS)
Matilda Theiss Trauma and Early Childhood Behavioral Health
Pediatric Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Program
Teen Depression, Anxiety, and Suicide
Child & Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Programs
Teen Partial Hospitalization Program
Eating Disorder Programs
Emergency and Crisis Services
Geriatrics
Serious Mental Illness Programs

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services (CABS)

Bipolar disorder — or manic depression, as it used to be called — is a mood disorder that runs in families and has a strong genetic basis. It is a serious neuropsychiatric illness marked by episodes of mania and depression.

Though it used to be thought that bipolar disorder was very rare in youth, we now understand that it often first presents itself in childhood, and particularly during adolescence.

Bipolar disorder can be difficult to diagnose in youth, as it can be mistaken for other psychiatric disorders.

Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services (CABS) at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital is devoted to diagnosing and treating children and adolescents with mood problems.

Contact Us

  • Outpatient CABS services
    Bellefield Towers in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, PA
    412-246-5238 or 1-877-851-2227
  • Inpatient CABS services
    UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
    412-246-6094
    For direct admission and transfers from other hospitals, call 412-624-2000

About CABS

CABS provides:

  • Integrated clinical and research
  • Comprehensive assessments for bipolar disorder in young adults or children and adolescents
  • Inpatient and outpatient treatments
  • Outpatient Peer Specialist Services for 16-25 year olds
  • Second opinion consultations

When appropriate, CABS provides these services through telepsychiatry.

CABS inpatient and outpatient services work as a team for diagnostic and treatment discussions and appropriate referrals. CABS also performs a number of different research studies.

Diagnosing Bipolar Disorders

An accurate bipolar diagnosis requires:

  • Well-trained and experienced doctors and clinicians
  • Long interviews
  • Multiple informants

We begin with an evaluation to identify the type of problems that the child is experiencing.

Conducted by a clinician and psychiatrist, evaluations include:

  • Interviews with the child
  • Interviews with the parent(s) or caregivers
  • Completion of detailed questionnaires

At the conclusion of the evaluation, the team meets with the family to discuss diagnosis and treatment recommendations. Sometimes it will take several visits before we can be clear about diagnosis.

Treating Bipolar Disorder

If the child has — or is suspected to have — bipolar disorder, we will offer treatment through the CABS clinic. If the child does not have bipolar, we will assist with referral to other appropriate providers.

Treatment includes:

  • Psychotherapy
  • Medications, if appropriate and agreed to by the family
  • Ongoing evaluation, management, and support

Education is an important part of treatment and is provided to help families better understand and cope with the disorder.

We provide additional psycho-education materials for youth, parents, and professionals.

Inpatient Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services (IN CABS)

IN-CABS is an integrated acute care program that bridges clinical innovation with evidence-based practices in the hospital. We specialize in serving adolescents who have bipolar disorder or who are at risk to have bipolar disorder.

IN-CABS uses an innovative, comprehensive assessment to diagnose and rule out bipolar disorder.

IN-CABS also provides:

  • Culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate, adolescent-oriented, and family-focused treatment approaches
  • We specialize in serving adolescents (age 13 or older) who have bipolar disorder or who are at risk to have bipolar disorder
  • Bipolar disorder-specific workbooks
  • Novel computerized mood-monitoring tools
  • Wellness approaches (nutrition, exercise, yoga)

Synergy and coordination with other professionals and care providers

Services may include consulting with other professionals who are involved in the child’s care, such as teachers, mental health professionals, or pediatricians. When appropriate, we can provide these services through telepsychiatry.

Coordination starts with evaluation and admission. We develop synergy between inpatient and outpatient services, targeting quality and continuity of care.

IN-CABS staff shares a detailed report with outpatient providers about the results of the child's inpatient assessment and interventions.

Similarly, our comprehensive CABS outpatient assessment and treatment recommendations are shared with the local providers.

Referral Process for Physicians and/or Professionals

IN-CABS

Call IN-CABS at 412-246-6094 if:

  • The adolescent (13 years or older) displays mania-like symptoms that require diagnostic clarification in a structured setting.
  • The adolescent needs specialized interventions for bipolar disorder on the inpatient unit.
  • You would like more information about IN-CABS

Physicians and professionals may refer adolescents from other cities or states. For questions about direct admission and transfers from other hospitals, please call 412-624-2000.

Outpatient

To initiate an outpatient assessment at CABS, please call 412-246-5238 or 1-877-851-2227.

Parents, outpatient doctors and clinicians, or treatment centers and hospitals can initiate the referral for outpatient services.

Learn more about the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Disorders Research and Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh.

Awards and Recognition

IN-CABS was recognized by:

  • National Council — 2013 Excellence in Clinical Medicine Award
  • Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association — 2013 Recognition Award for Innovation in Mental Health
  • Hospital Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) — 2011 Best Patient Care Award

Additional Resources

  • CABS - Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services Brochure (PDF)
UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login