Collaborative Pediatric Bipolar Disorder Conference

描述(由申请人提供)：我们提议召开一次多年会议 Grant，旨在为研究人员建立一个论坛，以寻求合作 儿童双相情感障碍的研究。此应用程序是在 对NIMH主任Dr。 史蒂夫·海曼，与发展精神病理学和 预防研究处和儿童与青少年治疗和 预防干预研究处。尽管存在争议，但认为 儿童双相情感障碍非常罕见，已被Case挑战 报告和新出现的研究结果表明，这种疾病可能不会 是罕见的，但更确切地说，它很难诊断。这一点也很清楚 尽管对病因学问题存在争议，但许多临床医生认识到， 相当数量的儿童患有一种严重的精神病 与极度易怒、暴力和丧失能力有关，即 高度暗示有双相情感障碍。因为有相当大的临床人口 目前存在的系统信息相对较少 可以提高研究的速度和效用的努力有 迫切需要。因此，一个适当的机制旨在促进 首先需要研究人员和临床医生之间的定期沟通 建立协作研究并指导临床工作的步骤 培养一种更高效、更精简的方法来理解和 治疗这种令人困惑的疾病。拟议会议的主要目的是 格兰特将通过建立年度合作伙伴关系来克服合作障碍 儿童双相情感障碍研究人员会议。子目标 这些会议的内容是：(1)确定双极光谱的边界 并确定从技术上讲是否符合双相情感障碍标准的儿童 障碍实际上有这种障碍或受到另一种情况的影响。 (2)规范跨中心数据收集方法，以 促进诊断数据的汇集和疾病的确认； 促进大型协作项目的联合提交，从而实现 对广泛的科学问题的研究，包括遗传学、 成像和治疗方案；以及(4)建立一种汇集机制 样本，以便可以交叉验证来自一组的潜在发现 汇集了来自其他组的数据。尽管研究儿科的科学项目 这些努力可能会在未来几年为双相情感障碍提供资金 可能需要很多年才能显现出来。这一科学空白和正在进行的 诊断和治疗的不确定性要求立即采取行动促进 临床和科学领域感兴趣的各方之间的联系和对话 社区。虽然该领域面临着信息匮乏，但越来越多的 儿童和家庭正被转介到诊所进行评估和 治疗。因此，增加对患有这种疾病的儿童的识别的步骤 双相谱系障碍及其初步治疗方法的发展 帮助他们具有高度的临床、科学和公共卫生重要性。 虽然拟议的会议并不打算解决所有悬而未决的问题 与儿童双相情感障碍有关，它将提供一个开始的论坛 制定解决方案。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We are proposing a multi-year conference grant which seeks to establish a forum for researchers to pursue collaborative studies of pediatric bipolar disorder. This application was conceived in response to a recent roundtable discussion convened by the NIMH's Director, Dr. Steve Hyman, in collaboration with the Developmental Psychopathology and Prevention Research Branch and the Child and Adolescent Treatment and Preventive Intervention Research Branch. Despite controversy, the notion that pediatric bipolar disorder is exceedingly rare has been challenged by case reports and emerging research findings that suggest that this disorder may not be rare but, rather, that it is difficult to diagnose. It is also quite clear that, despite debate over nosological issues, many clinicians recognize that a sizable number of children suffer from a severe form of psychopathology associated with extreme irritability, violence, and incapacitation that is highly suggestive of bipolar disorder. Since a sizable clinical population currently exists for which relatively little systematic information is available, efforts that increase the pace and utility of research are desperately needed. Thus, an appropriate mechanism designed to facilitate regular communication among investigators and clinicians is needed as a first step to build collaborative research and guide clinical efforts that will foster a more efficient and streamlined approach to the understanding and treatment of this perplexing disorder. The main aim of the proposed conference grant is to overcome the hurdles to collaboration by establishing yearly conferences among investigators studying pediatric bipolar disorder. Subgoals of these conferences are: (1) to define the boundaries of the bipolar spectrum phenotype and determine if children who technically meet criteria for bipolar disorder actually have this disorder or are affected with another condition.; (2) to standardize data collection methods across different centers to facilitate pooling of diagnostic data and validation of the disorder; (3) to facilitate joint submissions of large collaborative projects that will enable the study of a broad spectrum of scientific questions including genetic, imaging and therapeutic protocols; and (4) to create a mechanism for pooling samples so that potential findings from one group may be cross-validated on pooled data from other groups. Although scientific projects studying pediatric bipolar disorder are likely to be funded in the coming years, these efforts will likely take many years to unfold. This scientific void and ongoing diagnostic and therapeutic uncertainties calls for immediate action to foster contact and dialogue among interested parties in the clinical and scientific community. While the field faces a dearth of information, more and more children and families are being referred to clinics for evaluation and treatment. Thus, steps that increase the identification of children with bipolar spectrum disorder and the development of initial therapeutic approaches to help them is of high clinical, scientific and public health importance. While the proposed conference does not intend to solve all outstanding problems associated with pediatric bipolar disorder, it will provide a forum to begin formulating a solution.