Treating bipolar disorder in pediatric patients
RE DR. ARNOLD Relman's recent op-ed ("Improper rewards of research," July 12): Although Relman suggests otherwise, two medications that have been used for many years to treat bipolar disorder in adults have, in fact, been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes of bipolar I disorder in pediatric patients age 10 to 17. The FDA approvals of Risperdal and Abilify for this purpose not only suggest that at the proper dose, these atypical antipsychotic medications are safe and effective for use as indicated, but affirm that the FDA accepts the validity of pediatric bipolar disorder and the need to treat it.
When patients suffer, and available treatments are lacking, it is the job of experts to innovate and explore new options for hope. The approval of these drugs in children has followed the conventional and widely accepted path that begins with observations in a limited number of patients followed by small but systematic observational studies that are then validated by large, controlled trials.
Families faced with the anguish and disruption of bipolar disorder need reassurance that steady progress is being made in understanding and treating this complex diagnosis.
And it is imperative that the information we give them be up-to-date and accurate.
Dr. JANET WOZNIAK
Boston
The writer is director of the Pediatric Bipolar Disorder Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. 