Depression/Bi-Polar Disorder

The programs of The Pinnacle Schools address a myriad of adolescent illnesses or conditions, including depression and/or bipolar disorder.

The Elk River Treatment Program (ERTP) provides cognitive behavior modification and physician-directed medication management in a safe and healthy environment. Because diagnosis is complex and involves careful observation over an extended period of time, a residential setting such as Elk River Treatment Program is preferred over a short stay in an acute facility or intensive outpatient care. To stabilize a patient, a short stay in an acute hospital setting may be necessary, followed by intense therapy in a residential program for adolescents.

ERTP uses challenge of the outdoors as a therapeutic teaching tool while removing the distractions of everyday life. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, about 5 percent of children and adolescents in the general population suffer from depression at any given point in time. At a higher risk for depression are children under stress, who experience loss, or who have attentional, learning, conduct or anxiety disorders. Because an adolescent may not always seem sad, parents may not realize that troublesome behavior is a sign of depression.

Children and teenagers with symptoms of Bipolar Disorder have manic and/or depressive symptoms. Some may have mostly depression and others a combination of manic and depressive symptoms. Highs may alternate with lows.

Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for children who suffer from depression and/or Bipolar Disorder. ERTP's Treatment Team includes renowned Adult, Child and Forensic Psychiatrist Gagan Dhaliwal, M.D., medical physicians, licensed counselors and registered nurses available 24 hours a day.

Treatment includes individual and group psychotherapy to help a child adapt to stresses, rebuild self-esteem and improve relationships. Treatment may also include the use of antidepressant medication or mood stabilizing medications that often help prevent depression and reduce the number and severity of manic episodes.  

Some of the symptoms of depression and bipolar/manic disorder are similar:

Depressive symptoms include:

• irritability, depressed mood, persistent sadness, frequent crying
• thoughts of death or suicide
• loss of enjoyment in favorite activities
• frequent complaints of physical illnesses such as headaches or stomach aches
• low energy level, fatigue, poor concentration, complaints of boredom
• major change in eating or sleeping patterns, such as oversleeping or overeating

Bipolar/Manic symptoms include:

• severe changes in mood-either unusually happy or silly, or very irritable, angry, agitated or aggressive
• unrealistic highs in self-esteem - for example, a teenager who feels all powerful or like a superhero with special powers
• great increase in energy and the ability to go with little or no sleep for days without feeling tired
• increase in talking - the adolescent talks too much, too fast, changes topics too quickly, and cannot be interrupted
• distraction - the teen's attention moves constantly from one thing to the next
• repeated high risk-taking behavior, such as abusing alcohol and drugs, reckless driving, or sexual promiscuity