2-Day Live Online Conference
Childhood Bipolar Disorder Identification, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Thursday February 27th & Friday February 28th, 2026 8:45am-3:45pm Pacific Time
Registration Options
Register for a free account to access CMHRC continuing education content. After registering for your free account you will be able to complete your registration for this 2-Day conference. Please note that your registration is not confirmed until you have made payment.
NBCC Credits: Childhood Bipolar Disorder Conference has been approved by NBCC for NBCC credit. Sessions approved for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Children’s Mental Health Resource Center is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. NBCC Approval No. SP-4989
ASWB ACE Credits: Children’s Mental Health Resource Center, provider #2471, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Associate of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period 9/11/2025-9/11-2026. Social workers completing this course receive 8.75 Interactive via Zoom Synchronous Distance Learning continuing education credits.
Agenda - Day 1 - 8:45am-3:45pm*
8:45AM
Welcome (Not Included in CE Credits)
- Introduction to CMHRC
9:00AM – 10:45AM
Understanding Misdiagnosis and Childhood Bipolar (1.75 CE Credits)
- Look at why practitioners often miss a diagnosis of bipolar in children, how to distinguish bipolar from other diagnoses, and best practices for treating bipolar in childhood.
10:45AM – 11:00AM
Break (Not Included in CE Credits)
11:00AM – 12:45PM
Can Kids Have Bipolar? How to Recognize and Diagnose Bipolar in Kids Ages 5-15 (1.75 CE Credits)
- Discover the unique challenges to diagnosing pediatric onset bipolar disorder, how the symptoms differ from late adolescent or adult onset presentation bipolar disorder, and what assessments and treatment modalities are most effective.
12:45PM – 1:45PM
Lunch (Not Included in CE Credits)
1:45PM – 3:30PM
What is “Fear of Harm?” or TSDD the newly recognized phenotype of bipolar disorder (1.75 CME Credits through AAFP only)
- Understand the biological and physiological symptoms associated with the new phenotype of bipolar, Fear of Harm, and compare these symptoms to other diagnoses in order to determine an effective treatment plan.
3:30PM – 3:45PM
Closing (Not Included in CE Credits)
Day 1 Total: 3.5 CE Credits or 5.25 CME Credits
Agenda - Day 2 - 8:45am-3:45pm*
8:45AM
Welcome (Not Included in CE Credits)
9:00AM – 10:45AM
Differentiating Bipolar & ADHD (1.75 CE Credits)
- Compare symptoms of ADHD and bipolar disorder, and how medication and culture impact diagnosis.
10:45AM – 11:00AM Break (Not Included in CE Credits)
11:00AM – 12:45PM Differentiating Bipolar Disorder (BD) & Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in Teens (1.75 CE Credits)
- Discuss similarities in symptom presentation between bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, how trauma impacts both diagnoses, and effective paths to treatment.
12:45PM – 1:45PM
Lunch (Not Included in CE Credits)
1:45PM – 3:30PM
Q & A (Not Included in CE Credits)
- Open question and answer forum with the presenters.
3:30PM – 3:45PM
Closing (Not Included in CE Credits)
Day 2 Total: 3.5 CE/CME Credits
*Eastern Daylight Time, please check your local time zone for start and end times.
Session Descriptions
Understanding Misdiagnosis and Childhood Bipolar
(1.75 CE/CME Credits)
Practitioners often feel stuck within a system that disempowers them to meet their patients where they are. Hedged in by insurance requirements and formulaic diagnostic codes, providers are thwarted even when they feel criteria is met for certain diagnoses like bipolar. Many disorders share commonalities which can cause confusion. Yet, an accurate diagnosis is imperative for effective treatment. Neuroprotection, social and emotional development, and healthy relationships are dependent upon more accurate, and effective treatment for everyone, especially children.
In this session, you will:
- Describe why skilled practitioners can still miss a diagnosis of bipolar in children
- Identify areas of symptom overlap between bipolar and other diagnoses such as DMDD and ADHD
- Compare symptoms of bipolar in children and how they differ from symptoms of bipolar in adults
Can Kids Have Bipolar? How to Recognize and Diagnose Bipolar in Kids Ages 5-15
(1.75 CE/CME Credits)
Research shows that 50% of mental illness begins before age fourteen, and there is an average10-year treatment onset delay. Research also shows that bipolar disorder affects about 1-5% of the total population; when one parent has bipolar disorder, the risk to each child is l5% – 30%; when both parents have bipolar disorder, the risk increases to 50% – 75%; 1/3 of all children and teens diagnosed with depression are misdiagnosed and actually live with bipolar disorder; and those diagnosed with bipolar have a rate of suicide ten to thirty times higher than the general population. Given the vulnerability of children and adolescents, it is crucial to recognize common symptoms of bipolar and how to complete a full differential diagnosis.
In this session, you will:
- Describe bipolar disorder and some of the unique challenges to diagnosing pediatric onset bipolar disorder
- Compare the symptoms of pediatric onset bipolar to the symptoms of late adolescent or adult onset bipolar
- Identify recommended steps to diagnosing and proven assessments for pediatric onset bipolar disorder
- Define effective treatment interventions
What is “Fear of Harm?”
(1.75 CME Credits through AAFP only)
Thermoregulatory Sleep Dysregulation Disorder, more commonly known as “Fear of Harm”, or FOH, is a newly identified phenotype of bipolar disorder impacting approximately 1/3 of all individuals who live with bipolar. Since it is a normal human experience to have fear of being harmed, the name of this disorder can be misleading. However, exaggerated fears along with temperature and sleep disruptions are the hallmarks of this illness. The combination of biological and physiological symptoms make FOH unique in psychiatry. Participants will learn about this newly identified disorder directly from an expert involved in its research.
In this session, you will:
- Explain how the FOH phenotype was identified
- Identify the symptoms of FOH and how they present
- Compare FOH to other diagnosis
- Determine appropriate treatments for FOH
Differentiating Bipolar & ADHD
(1.75 CE/CME Credits)
The DSM was designed to classify observable symptoms into a diagnosis, but this becomes difficult when those same symptoms reappear multiple times in different diagnoses. This variability requires a closer look at not just the symptom description, but the how and why the symptoms are manifesting. Dr. Charles Popper insists that all of the features of ADHD can be seen in mood disorders at a given time, so it is necessary to rule out a mood disorder prior to diagnosing ADHD. This session provides an in-depth inspection of symptoms to ensure an accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment path.
In this session, you will:
- Analyze the findings differentiating neuropsychological factors of treated children with pediatric bipolar from those with attention deficit disorder
- Compare the symptom similarities between ADHD and bipolar disorder
- Describe the effect of lithium on bipolar disorder versus ADHD
- Consider cross-cultural implications to misdiagnosis
Differentiating Bipolar Disorder (BD) & Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in Teens
(1.75 CE/CME Credits)
In the throes of adolescence, change is happening rapidly in not only the body, but the brain as well. These changes can prompt big behaviors, emotional dysregulation, and relationship instability that is confusing, difficult to manage, and often misunderstood. The DSM can be used to classify these symptoms into a diagnosis, but as we have learned, this becomes difficult when they reappear multiple times in different diagnoses. Determining a relational trigger versus a mood disturbance, and not just looking at symptom descriptions can ensure an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment plan.
In this session, you will:
- Compare the symptom similarities between bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder
- Determine the role of trauma in both bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder
- Identify effective treatments for bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder
Meet Your Presenters
Angela Jamison, CMHRC Training and Outreach Director, Foster Care and Adoption Specialist
– Differentiating Bipolar & ADHD
– Differentiating Bipolar Disorder & Borderline Personality Disorder in Teens
– Q & A
Angela Jamison spent eleven years in the field of education with a BA from Northern Kentucky University prior to staying home with her five children and pursuing a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Kentucky. Angela also received her Trauma Responsive Practice Certificate from the University of Kentucky and is a Certified Social Worker in the state of Kentucky and a Licensed Social Worker in the state of Ohio. After fifteen years witnessing the trifecta of trauma, overworked caseworkers, and ineffective legislation within the child welfare system as a foster parent, and feeling the isolation of parenting children with mental illness, Angela brings a passion for empowering families with strength and confidence, feeling heard, and understood on their journey, whether that be foster care, adoption, or mental illness.
Elizabeth Errico, CMHRC Executive Director
– Understanding Misdiagnosis and Childhood Bipolar
– What is “Fear of Harm?”
– Q & A
Elizabeth Errico founded CMHRC after more than twenty years as a mental health professional with a varied, decades-long career in the fields of counseling, psychology, education, and psychiatry. Earning her BA in psychology from Georgetown University, she then attended Columbia University, Teachers College where she earned Master’s Degrees in both psychological counseling (MA) and counseling in education (Ed.M). Elizabeth has her Professional Counselor of Mental Health license in the state of Delaware and Mental Health Counselor license in the state of Hawaii, as well as is a member of the American Counseling Association, and the American Board of Certified Counselors. Through her years working with families, she has seen a desperate need and struggle to find answers and support from a complex mental healthcare system that often ignores or minimizes family concerns. Children’s Mental Health Resource Center grew out of the awareness that families, and practitioners, deserve better access to information, resources, and expert guidance as they seek accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.
Jennifer Sevick, CMHRC Clinical Director
– Can Kids Have Bipolar? How to Recognize and Diagnose Bipolar in Kids
– Differentiating Bipolar Disorder & Borderline Personality Disorder in Teens
– Q & A
Jennifer Sevick is a Licensed Independent Social Worker in the state of South Carolina with over twenty years of experience working with children, families and individuals. Earning her Bachelor of Social Work for the University of Georgia, she continued to her Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina. In 2023, Jennifer received the ‘Mental Health Advocate of the Year’ award from Mental Health America’s South Carolina chapter. Jennifer has immersed herself in studying how to identify and effectively treat bipolar disorder throughout the lifespan since her child’s diagnosis of early onset pediatric bipolar. Jennifer brings both vast professional and personal expertise to CMHRC with her wide breadth of skills and experience.
If you have questions, concerns, or grievances about this course, or require ADA accommodation, please contact us via email at learning@cmhrc.org or by phone at 773-231-0751 (9am-5pm eastern time). Written communication can also be sent to 111 Hekili St. Suite A-600, Kailua, HI 96734.