Child Network Study

A STUDY ASSESSING YOUR CHILD’S MOOD AND BEHAVIOR

‍

Parents, if your child (aged 2–12) has mood or behavioral difficulties, we would like to enlist your

participation in a study called the Child Network. Parents who enroll in the study will complete an online

rating checklist of your child’s symptoms once a week by a secure web-based system. Participants will

be able to bring the weekly rating scale results to appointments to track symptoms over time.

In addition, adults who have been diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder and are the biological

parent of a child (ages 2–12) who is currently healthy and has no troublesome mood or behavioral

symptoms may also be eligible to participate in this study.

If you are interested in participating in this study, please email a signed copy the consent form to vaprlab@vcu.edu

‍

We are also looking to better understand the effects of two different supplements on symptoms of

bipolar spectrum disorders - N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) and Acetyl-L-Carnitine (LAC). If your child is

currently taking either supplement or if you decide to add either supplement to your child’s existing

treatment regimen, please consult your child’s care provider. The informed consent document will have

further information on NAC.

‍

If you are interested in participating in this study, please click here to access informed consent

documents. For more information, call 301-530-8245 or email questions to vaprlab@vcu.edu

More Information:

‍

The Child Network, a study by the Bipolar Collaborative Network, invites parents of children aged 2 to 12

with minor to severe symptoms, including bipolar disorder, as well as children of parents with bipolar

disorder who do not have symptoms, to participate. The study involves a weekly ten-minute parental

assessment of their child, confidential disclosure of medications and other treatments and any side

effects that occur in the prior week, a short demographics questionnaire, and a once a year more

detailed symptom checklist. This study does not involve treatment. Parents can print out results of the

ongoing brief weekly ratings in a graphic form to visualize the course of the child’s symptoms

Two different supplements are also being evaluated for adjunctive treatment of bipolar disorder.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has controlled studies in adults have shown good effectiveness and tolerability in

many symptom areas, including irritability in children aged 4-17.

‍

Acetyl-L-Carnitine has shown promise at treating depression and bipolar disorder NOS with good

tolerability.

‍

If you are interested in adding either supplement to your child’s current treatment regimen, please

speak to your child’s physician or psychiatric care provider and discuss the possibility of adding it. If your

child’s physician or psychiatric care provider recommends adding either supplement to your child’s

treatment regimen, follow their instructions. Please record this on the forms filled out for the study if

your child has or begins taking either supplement.

‍

Robert M. Post, MD and Michael Rowe, PhD

Bipolar Collaborative Network , and

Robert L. Findling, MD, MBA, Principal Investigator

This research study is IRB approved by Virginia Commonwealth University

Principal Investigator: Robert L. Findling, MD, MBA IRB Study # HM20023924

If you are interested in participating in this study, please email a signed copy of the consent form to vaprlab@vcu.edu.

For more information, call 301-530-8245 or email questions to vaprlab@vcu.edu

‍