Alcohol can trigger manic episodes in individuals with bipolar disorder, leading to increased risk-taking behavior, impulsivity, and poor decision-making. During manic episodes, individuals may be more likely to engage in excessive drinking, creating a dangerous cycle of escalating symptoms and substance abuse. Lithium has been the standard treatment for bipolar disorder for several decades. Unfortunately, several studies have reported that substance abuse is a predictor of poor response of bipolar disorder to lithium. More specifically, as stated previously, compared to non-substance abusers, alcoholics appear to be at greater risk for developing mixed mania and rapid cycling.
Bipolar Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder: A review
These findings underscore the special needs of BD-AUD patients in terms of intensive treatment and support aimed to achieve early recovery after relapses. To that end, detailed and serial neuropsychological evaluations during this critical period remain as a backbone. The Prechter Longitudinal Study is also still enrolling both people with bipolar disorder and people with no mental health conditions or close relatives who have mental health conditions, to act as comparisons. Bipolar disorder and alcohol problems seem to go hand-in-hand, leading to a widespread belief that drinking acts as a kind of “self medication” to ease bipolar’s life-altering symptoms of mania, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and more. If you or someone you know struggles with alcoholism and bipolar disorder, medical professionals can help. There is no cure for either illness, but entering rehabilitation can help you or your loved one achieve a life that does not involve substance abuse.
- Some people use alcohol alongside their prescription drugs, adding to the risk.
- The National Institutes of Health give no specific advice against using alcohol with lithium, but a doctor may provide additional information.
- The prevalence of alcohol abuse among individuals with bipolar disorder is alarmingly high.
- A third feature of IGT is a discussion of the relationship between the two disorders.
- By Sarah Bence, OTR/LBence is an occupational therapist with a range of work experience in mental healthcare settings.
However, some data indicate that with effective treatment of mood symptoms, patients with bipolar disorder can have remission of their alcoholism. As a result of this process, a number of evidence-based psychotherapies have been developed for BD and for alcohol dependence. Similarly, motivational enhancement therapy, twelve-step facilitation therapy, and cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention therapy have all been shown to be effective in the treatment of alcohol dependence (Project MATCH Research Group, 1997).
They also looked at the impact of alcohol use on functioning across domains of family, friend, work, and home life and found that drinking more than typical amounts of alcohol was linked with a higher likelihood of problems in work functioning over the following six months. While some may refer to a person struggling with these issues as abipolar alcoholic,the two conditions are often intertwined and require separate, simultaneous treatment. If you have bipolar disorder, AUD, or both, talk to your doctor about treatment options that will work for you.
Sleep–wake rhythms as biomarkers of bipolar disorder
For those seeking addiction treatment for themselves or a loved one, all phone calls are confidential and are available for 24/7 help. All calls will be answered by Pinnacle Health Group or Still Behavioral Health Group, both of whom are paid advertisers. Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center.
Bipolar 2 disorder
Like a volatile cocktail, the combination of bipolar disorder and alcohol consumption creates a dangerous mixture that can amplify symptoms, complicate treatment, and lead to dire consequences for those affected. This complex relationship between bipolar disorder and alcohol use has long been a subject of concern for mental health professionals and What Are Club Drugs Effects, Types, List of Street Names researchers alike. Understanding the intricate interplay between these two conditions is crucial for effective treatment and support of individuals grappling with this dual challenge. One condition can make the other worse, and vice versa, so the ideal approach to treating individuals with bipolar disorder and alcohol use disorder is through integrated treatment.
Integrated treatment can occur either at the programmatic level or at the individual or group patient level. In the programmatic level, as exemplified by the work of Farren et al. (Farren and McElroy, 2008, 2010; Farren et al., 2010), patients enter a comprehensive integrated treatment programme that focuses on both psychiatric illness and substance use disorders. This series of studies on bipolar subjects with alcohol dependence examined the response to an inpatient integrated four-week psychoeducational programme with appropriate individualised pharmacotherapy. The programme consisted of specifically developed relapse prevention group therapy, individualised interpersonal therapy, with psychoeducational video and group sessions, together with self-help groups including Alcoholics Anonymous, and Dual Recovery Anonymous. When followed up at six months post-discharge, various positive prognostic factors were identified, including early abstinence, baseline low anxiety, and engagement with an aftercare programme (Farren and McElroy, 2010). By two years, however, different positive prognostic factors emerged including female gender (Farren et al., 2011).
Post-treatment prognosis can be influenced by a number of factors including early abstinence, baseline low anxiety, engagement with an aftercare program and female gender. The future development of novel therapies relies upon increased psychiatric and medical awareness of the co-morbidity, and further research into novel therapies for the comorbid group. That is, they co-occur more often than would be expected by chance and they co-occur more often than do alcoholism and unipolar depression. There are a number of pharmacotherapy trials, and psychotherapy trials that can aid programme development. Post-treatment prognosis can be influenced by a number of factors including early abstinence, baseline low anxiety, engagement with an aftercare programme and female gender.
Does Depression Drive You to Drink Alcohol?
The findings were seen even in people who were not engaging in binge drinking, drinking with high intensity or frequency, or experiencing impairment related to their alcohol use. Our state-specific resource guides offer a comprehensive overview of drug and alcohol addiction treatment options available in your area. Researchers agree that alcohol and depression have a bidirectional relationship, meaning that depression can cause overuse of alcohol, but overuse of alcohol can also cause depression.
Unraveling the genes and proteins involved in the vulnerability to BD-AUD is relevant to inform on the subserving molecular and cellular mechanisms and to identify novel treatments and molecules for the management of this comorbidity. This is clearly relevant since many dual BD patients may receive suboptimal treatments. This approach may also prove fruitful to refine current nosology of dual diagnosis based on more biologically informed grounds (Frangou, 2014). In sum, the bipolar-addiction comorbidity may benefit from the application of holistic approaches, such as staging and systems biology.
