AboutIvan Goldberg, M.D. Expertise I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.
Experience I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.
A.B. Johns Hopkins University M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine
I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html
I discovered you while looking for information on the internet, and am an admirer of both your website and your philosophy.
I am the mother of a nine-year-old boy with a bipolar disorder. He suffered an abrupt, terrifying breakdown about a year ago, with psychosis and suicidality, after which he was hospitalized and started on lithium. Lithium gradually relieved him of his hallucinations and suicidal urges, but he fought depression and anxiety all year long, and this winter his manic-depressive symptoms are mounting again, according to much the same pattern as last winter.
It was a long, hard struggle finding good outpatient psychiatric treatment for our son (here in Rochester, NY -- not only because of the serious shortage of child psychiatrists, but because of the debilitating ignorance, misunderstanding, and prejudice that, I now know, burden not only our culture in general, but much of our health care system. (When I phoned the pediatrician's office with "an urgent psychiatric problem," I was told I had dialed the wrong number: "This line is only for sick children," the receptionist said...) Finally, we found an experienced psychiatric nurse practitioner (who consults with a psychiatrist colleague) to treat our son. We have a lot of confidence in her. But our son has tried over a dozen psychotropic drugs that did not work out because they induced mania, akathesia, or stomach cramping and nausea. Of all these drugs -- which include anticonvulsants, atypical antipsychotics, and antidepressants, as well as a few other things -- only one clearly seemed to be bringing our son "back," and that was Wellbutrin. But stomach problems forced us to drop it.
We have decided to look for more expert psychopharmacological advice, even though our son's nurse says it is really too early for this step, since we have not yet tried several of the drugs commonly used to treat early-onset bipolar disorder. We have scheduled an appointment with Dr. Boris Birmaher at Child and Adolescent Bipolar Services at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh. We did not see his name on your list of experts, but we did note a few adult psychiatrists' names from WPIC. Do you think we are doing the right thing? Is there a better place to seek help for our son? Should we be looking, instead (or in addition) for an expert psychopharmacologist in private practice -- someone like you, only a child psychiatrist rather than an adult psychiatrist? If so, how would we go about finding one?
Thank You,
Sarah
Answer Hi, Sarah . . .
I am not a child psychiatrist and while I have treated some bipolar children, as young a 4, I did so because at times, even in new York City, it is hard to find anyone willing to treat such children.
The names on my list are of psychiatrists who generally treat adults. The absence of any name should not be interpreted as being meaningful.
I think your strategy of seeking out a child psychiatrist affiliated with a major psychiatric center such as WPIC is a good one. If you are unable to find a child psychiatrist / psychopharmacologist who can help your son, the next step might be to consult with one of the experts on my list.
