Booze, Drugs, and Bipolar Disorder

The mood swings, mania, panic, and deep depression experienced by people with bipolar disorder are hard enough to bear. But according to a 1990 study, 56% of bipolar patients also have a substance abuse problem, which can make treatment even more difficult.

Experts say that some bipolar patients are known to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol—though it's not recommended. In fact, they say, it does more harm than good.

"Using drugs or alcohol is usually a complicating problem because it reduces medication compliance," says Bryan K. Tolliver, MD, PhD, an addiction psychiatrist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. "Bipolar patients who use [alcohol or drugs] have more frequent mood swings, more hospitalizations, longer hospitalizations, and higher rates of suicide attempts."