Bipolar - Fear of Harm (FOH): Currently Known as Thermoregulatory Sleep Dysregulation Disorder (TSDD) (Children's Mental Health Resource Center Books) Paperback – June 28, 2024

In 2005 researchers at the Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation (JBRF) were working on a study analyzing data from more than 5,000 children who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. What they discovered was something new and unexpected. A new subset of symptoms was emerging in the data that led to the identification of a new phenotype of bipolar disorder. They dubbed it “Fear of Harm” or “FOH” in reference to one of its hallmark symptoms: extreme and debilitating fear.Through research led by JBRF’s Research Director, Dr. Demitri Papolos, the first paper on this newly identified phenotype was published in 2009: Fear of Harm, A Possible Phenotype of Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: A Dimensional Approach to Diagnosis for Genotyping Psychiatric Syndromes (Journal of Affective Disorders). This article outlined the new phenotype and their findings on it, which indicated that there were possibly more than 300,000 children and teens, and nearly 2 million adults, in the US alone with this new disorder.Since 2005 Dr. Papolos and his team of researchers, sponsored by JBRF, have published a dozen articles on childhood onset Bipolar Disorder, “FOH”, and its groundbreaking biological marker – temperature dysregulation. These papers explain the symptoms and treatments that have been uncovered and proven effective. Over the years Dr. Papolos and his team have further honed the proposed diagnostic criteria and investigated both medicinal and non-medication based treatments for this unique disorder.CMHRC strives to raise awareness of this newly identified phenotype among clinicians, physicians, other professionals, as well as with parents and family members. All of CMHRC’s programs incorporate the cutting edge findings and published journal articles on FOH so that children, teens, and adults can access the treatment they need to survive and thrive while living with FOH.Detailed information about this disorder, symptom identification, and treatment can be found in this book. This book also contains checklists based on nearly 20 years of research into FOH, and on community sourced symptom information from patients and families with the lived experience. The checklists can be used by parents, patients, and providers to help identify symptoms of “FOH”, clarify diagnostic questions and facilitate access to effective treatment. Read more