How We Help

Our treatment approach is based on an understanding of bipolar disorder as a life-long, chronic illness with unpredictable relapses and remissions. In this way, it is similar to cardio-vascular disease or diabetes, and, just as these illnesses are often openly discussed with close others, we believe that the treatment of bipolar disorder should include family members and loved ones who want to participate.

From decades of combined experience in treating bipolar disorder, we have observed that when willing families are excluded from treatment there can be unnecessary pain, frustration, isolation and misunderstanding. When close others are left out of the solution, treatment may be less effective and the patient may be at greater risk. The primary caregivers, demoralized, may themselves suffer from depression and anxiety. Children may feel unloved and unattended. All of which make the family unit vulnerable to disruption.

Outpatient

At the Family Center, if you have bipolar disorder the first step is intake. Your doctor will interview both you and the people close to you that you bring to your appointment to get a complete understanding of your life experiences and psychiatric history. This doctor will become your Family Psychiatrist.

After the intake, this is what you and your loved ones can expect:

Open communication about symptoms, medication and other aspects of treatment. This means that either the patient, the family/caregiver and the doctor can, and are expected to, contact each other any time they feel a need to discuss treatment issues. Confidentiality still applies to personal issues not related to the illness.
Weekly or bimonthly doctor visits by the patient for both medication management and supportive therapy.
Family sessions geared to educate the patient and family members about bipolar illness and its treatment; how to recognize symptoms, identify triggers and warning signs; and how to communicate openly about them.
Assessment of the emotional health of caregiver/spouse by the Family Psychiatrist and that of your children on the first visit and periodically thereafter to ensure that all family members are bearing up under the sometimes unavoidable stress.
Referrals to a family therapist to help with family issues that go beyond the immediate issues of how to deal with bipolar illness.
Special attention to helping children understand how bipolar illness can temporarily change the way a parent acts, in conjunction with counseling for the non-bipolar parent on how to protect children from the potentially damaging consequences of a bipolar parent whose illness is not always under control; referral to experienced child psychiatrist if needed.
Referrals of children with early cognitive, emotional, or behavioral problems for evaluation and follow-up with a child psychiatrist.
Information about the community of bipolar self-help organizations that provide support groups and day treatment programs (The Family Center for Bipolar is an active proponent of bipolar self-help organizations). Information about home care, entitlements and legal matters, advocacy, etc. See the Resources page.

Consultations

The Family Center for Bipolar offers evaluations, conducted by a team of professionals for either a diagnosis or a second opinion on treatment.

If you think that you, or someone you know, has Bipolar Disorder, you can meet with a Family Center psychiatrist for the purpose of diagnosis.
If you, or someone you know, has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder but the treatment does not seem effective, a Family Center psychiatrist can offer a second opinion on both the diagnosis and treatment.

Consultations take between two and two and a half hours and are held in our offices at Beth Israel. The team may include a psychopharmacologist, a social worker, and other staff members on an as-needed basis. The cost for this service is $1000, no insurance is accepted, and we ask that you make the amount payable in cash or check on the day of the visit.

For both second opinion consultations and diagnostic evaluation, the more background information that is provided ahead of time the better. In line with our Family Inclusive treatment, we encourage parents, siblings, spouses and/or friends to offer their perspectives on the patient's condition. A written report detailing the team’s conclusions will be provided upon request.

To arrange an appointment contact Sally Blanco-Lutzen at (212) 420-2302 or sblanco-lutzen@chpnet.org.

Consultations for Individual Patient

The Family Center for Bipolar offers an individual consultation service, conducted by a Center psychiatrist. This service is a one-time consultation for people who already have a psychiatrist and want a second opinion on their diagnosis and/or treatment approach.

If you have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder or another mood-spectrum disorder, you can meet with a Family Center psychiatrist to discuss your concerns and recieve answers about your diagnosis.
If you have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder or another mood-spectrum disorder and are unsure about the treatmentment course that you were reccomended, a Family Center psychiatrist can address your concerns as well as discuss alternate treatment options.

Consultations for Family Members

The Family Center for Bipolar offers consultations for family members, conducted by a Center psychiatrist. This service is designed to help family members find the best treatment options for their loved ones with Bipolar Mood Disorder and to improve adherence to those treatments.

If you think that your relative or someone you know has Bipolar Disorder, you can meet with a Family Center psychiatrist to discuss your concerns with a Family Center psychiatrist.
If your relative or someone you know, has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder but is reluctant to come to terms with either their diagnosis or treatment, a Family Center psychiatrist can help you design strategies to encourage them to accept their illness and seek treatment.

Consultations take between one and and one and a half hours and are held in our offices at Beth Israel. The cost for this service is $350, no insurance is accepted, and we ask that you make the amount payable in cash or check on the day of the visit.

To arrange an appointment contact Sally Blanco-Lutzen at (212) 420-2302 or sblanco-lutzen@chpnet.org.

Inpatient

Patients in an acute phase of the illness can be hospitalized in a general psychiatric unit. Although the psychiatric inpatient units at Beth Israel are not exclusive to Family Center patients, clients of the Family Center will be continuously monitored by one of the Center's Bipolar Specialists during their stay in the hospital. The Bipolar Specialist will be an integral part of the patient's treatment team which will also include an attending Beth Israel psychiatrist, a resident psychiatrist, a social worker, an occupational therapist, a psychologist and a nurse. The team will discusses all aspects of the patients’ psychopharmacological and psychosocial treatment and modify treatment methods according to patients' progress. The Bipolar Specialist assigned to the case will help to inform the patient's treatment plan, maintain close contact with the patient's family during his/her hospitalization, and facilitate the transition from inpatient to outpatient treatment after discharge.

Patients from the Family Center receive inpatient treatment that is unique in three ways:

In the spirit of the Center, from the outset the patients’ treatment is designed and conducted in close communication with patients’ families. While the exact nature of doctor-family interaction is determined on an individual basis, a family representative is always informed of medication changes and is in frequent contact with the treatment team.
Another distinct feature is that the psychopharmacological treatment of acute mania is conducted according to the method developed and used for many years by Dr. Igor Galynker, the Center's director. This intensive treatment targets not only patients’ psychiatric symptoms but also focuses on their arousal. This approach results in quicker treatment response, fewer relapses, and fewer re-admissions after discharge and is being examined in clinical trials.
The third distinguishing feature is that treatment by the inpatient team is conducted in collaboration with one of the Center psychiatrists who while caring for the patient who is hospitalized also supports members of the family through frequent discourse. At discharge the Center psychiatrist facilitates transition to outpatient treatment at the Family Center and Family Inclusive Treatment is implemented thus ensuring continuity of care.

There are three inpatient units at Beth Israel, each with a different profile. The Psychiatry Department publishes a full description of inpatient services. In brief:

Depending on the patient’s age and the nature of the acute episode, the patient will be admitted to the appropriate unit and the treatment will be tailored correspondingly.