Michael J. Labellarte

Michael J. Labellarte, Sr., M.D. is a Johns Hopkins trained, board certified and licensed child and adolescent psychiatrist who is a nationally recognized expert in psychopharmacology.  Dr. Labellarte’s current practice centers around consultation and ongoing treatment of children and adolescents with complicated stories and complex psychiatric presentations. He utilizes psycho-pharmacotherapy, parent-management training, and other evidence-based treatment approaches. Dr. Labellarte has always been a fan of a good story and good characters. Growing up, he enjoyed comic books – the hero’s journey that every character takes and playing sports. He started college intending to be a sports journalist, but a chemistry class put him on the course of medicine. He was drawn to psychiatry because it required the most discipline, lots of biochemistry, and the ability to figure out stories –  treating children and adolescents afforded him the opportunity to hear and work through the best stories. Dr. Labellarte’s expertise include medication responsive psychiatric disorders (e.g. ADHD, anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, depression). He is experienced in serving patients who often require complicated treatment combinations and collaboration with other treatment providers. He often treats the parents and siblings of his patients. Dr. Labellarte trained as a Resident in general psychiatry at University of Michigan Medical Center from 1991 through 1994. His training continued as a Clinical Fellow in child and adolescent psychiatry from 1994 through 1996 at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he served as full-time faculty until 2002. While a full-time faculty member at Hopkins, whose psychiatry program is consistently regarded as one of finest in the world, Dr. Labellarte worked in pediatric psychopharmacology research during a period of intensely productive investigation, collaborating with leading researchers from other institutions of excellence. He worked directly with his with mentors, Mark A. Riddle, M.D. and John T. Walkup, M.D., who have contributed to an unequaled proliferation of new research findings, including combined treatment approaches using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychopharmacology. Dr. Labellarte has designed, conducted, analyzed, and written manuscripts on clinical studies related to pediatric psychopharmacology, involving preschoolers, school-age children, and adolescents. These studies included youngsters with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, anxiety disorders plus ADHD, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and Tourette’s Disorder. Specific areas of investigation included studying beneficial effects of medication, medication adverse effects, and pharmacokinetics (e.g. medication-physiology interactions that help inform beneficial effects and adverse effects). Medications that he studied at Hopkins included selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs; e.g. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and Luvox), other antidepressants (e.g. Effexor XR and Remeron), classical stimulants (e.g. Concerta, Adderall XR, Metadate CD, Focalin XR, and Methylin), non-stimulant ADHD meds (e.g. Strattera and Modafanil), anxiolytics (e.g. Buspar), and a mood-stabilizing neurolpetic (Risperdal).