Posted by Bananafish on November 11, 2003, at 11:24:49
In reply to Can drug/alcohol abuse cause Bi-Polar?, posted by panic_attack on November 11, 2003, at 9:52:05
Can drug/alcohol abuse cause Bipolar? I'd say it's the other way around. A lot of people abuse drugs and alcohol because they are trying to treat the symptoms of Bipolar disorder (which they probably don't realize they have). Manics might drink to try to calm down or might use cocaine/meth to feel even higher. Depressives feel so terrible that they are willing to take anything if it might make them feel better. It becomes a vicious cycle. This has all led to the field of "dual diagnosis" in psychiatry--the attempt to treat a drug addiction by first diagnosing and treating an underlying mental disorder. If you are having frequent mood swings, you probably do have an affective disorder such as Bipolar. If so, you will have a very hard time controlling your substance abuse until you first treat the Bipolar. Good luck.
poster:Bananafish
thread:278520
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031111/msgs/278551.html