What does it mean to be Bipolar: How is addiction related?
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide—but it’s often misunderstood. Even more complex is the relationship between bipolar disorder and addiction, which frequently occur together and can make diagnosis and treatment more challenging.
At Heritage Treatment Link, we believe that understanding the connection between bipolar disorder and substance use is essential to treating both effectively. Whether you or someone you love is struggling with mood swings, impulsive behavior, or self-medicating with drugs or alcohol, we’re here to help you find clarity, support, and a path to recovery.
What does it mean to be Bipolar: How is addiction related?
Bipolar disorder and addiction are two complex conditions that frequently occur together—and when they do, they can deeply impact a person’s life, relationships, and ability to function. This combination, known as a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder, presents unique challenges but also opens the door for targeted, effective treatment.
What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition characterized by extreme mood shifts, ranging from emotional highs (mania or hypomania) to deep lows (depression). These shifts go beyond everyday mood swings and can significantly affect how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.
Types of Bipolar Disorder:
Bipolar I – At least one manic episode, often alternating with depressive episodes
Bipolar II – Hypomanic episodes with major depressive episodes
Cyclothymia – Frequent but milder mood fluctuations
What Is Addiction?
Addiction, or substance use disorder (SUD), involves the compulsive use of drugs or alcohol despite negative consequences. It affects brain chemistry, decision-making, and impulse control—often leading to a harmful cycle of dependence and dysfunction.
The Connection: Why Bipolar Disorder and Addiction Co-Occur
Studies show that individuals with bipolar disorder are significantly more likely to develop addiction than the general population. In fact, up to 60% of people with bipolar disorder will experience a substance use disorder during their lifetime.
Why the Overlap Happens:
Self-Medication
Many people turn to drugs or alcohol to manage intense mood swings, racing thoughts, or depressive lows. While it may seem like a short-term fix, self-medication often worsens both conditions over time.
Impulsivity During Manic Episodes
Manic states often lead to reckless behavior—such as excessive drinking, drug use, or risky sexual activity—due to lowered inhibitions and heightened energy.
Shared Brain Chemistry
Both conditions involve disruptions in brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which regulate mood, reward, and motivation.
Environmental Triggers and Trauma
Stress, trauma, and life instability can increase the risk for both disorders, and untreated mental health symptoms can fuel substance abuse as a coping mechanism.
Major depressive
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)—commonly known as clinical depression—is a serious and often debilitating mental health condition. It goes far beyond feeling “sad” or “down” for a few days. MDD can impact nearly every aspect of a person’s life, including their mood, thoughts, energy, motivation, sleep, appetite, and ability to function.
Manic
A manic episode is more than just feeling unusually energetic or happy. It’s a symptom of a serious mental health condition—most commonly bipolar disorder—that can lead to impulsive behavior, impaired judgment, and even dangerous consequences if left untreated.
At Heritage Treatment Link, we specialize in diagnosing and treating the underlying conditions that cause mania, helping individuals find stability, clarity, and long-term recovery.
Hypomanic
Hypomania is a lesser-known but important aspect of mood disorders—particularly Bipolar II Disorder. While often mistaken for just “high energy” or a “good mood,” hypomanic episodes can lead to impulsive decisions, emotional instability, and long-term consequences if left untreated.
Mixed
A mixed episode—also known as a mixed state or mixed features episode—is one of the most confusing and distressing experiences someone with bipolar disorder can face. It involves symptoms of both mania (or hypomania) and depression occurring at the same time or in rapid succession.
What Is a Mixed Episode?
A mixed episode occurs when a person experiences both depressive and manic/hypomanic symptoms simultaneously or within a short period. This combination can be emotionally and physically exhausting—and significantly increases the risk of impulsive behavior and suicide.
Mixed features are most commonly associated with:
- Bipolar I Disorder
- Bipolar II Disorder
- Major Depressive Disorder with mixed features (in some cases)
Dual Diagnosis: Bipolar and Addiction
Living with bipolar disorder can be challenging on its own. Add substance abuse into the mix, and the situation becomes even more complex and dangerous. This is what’s known as dual diagnosis—when a person experiences both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder at the same time.
What Is Dual Diagnosis?
Dual diagnosis refers to the co-occurrence of a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder (SUD). In this case, we’re focusing specifically on the combination of bipolar disorder and addiction—a pairing that affects a significant portion of people with mood disorders.
According to research:
- The presence of both conditions increases the severity of each and can delay recovery if not treated together.
- The presence of both conditions increases the severity of each and can delay recovery if not treated together.
Bipolar and Drug Abuse Treatment
When someone struggles with both bipolar disorder and drug abuse, their symptoms can fuel each other in a cycle that feels impossible to break. This is known as a dual diagnosis—and it requires a comprehensive, specialized approach to treatment.
At Heritage Treatment Link, we offer integrated care for individuals facing both bipolar disorder and substance use. With evidence-based therapies, medical support, and compassionate professionals, we help people regain control of their mental health, overcome addiction, and build a stable, fulfilling life.
Is Bipolar Medication Addictive
When starting treatment for bipolar disorder, it’s natural to have questions about the medications involved—especially when it comes to the risk of addiction. Many people wonder, “Is bipolar medication addictive?” The short answer is: most bipolar medications are not addictive, but there are exceptions worth understanding.
What Types of Medications Are Used for Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a complex mental health condition that often requires a combination of medications to stabilize mood and prevent extreme highs (mania) and lows (depression).
Common classes of bipolar medications include:
- Mood stabilizers (e.g., lithium, valproate)
- Atypical antipsychotics (e.g., quetiapine, olanzapine)
- Antidepressants (used cautiously and often alongside mood stabilizers)
- Anti-anxiety medications (sometimes prescribed short-term)
Each medication plays a different role, and your treatment team will select the right combination based on your specific symptoms and history.
Overcoming Bipolar and Substance Abuse at Heritage Treatment Link
Struggling with bipolar disorder and substance abuse at the same time can feel like being trapped in a never-ending cycle of emotional chaos and self-destruction. When mood instability meets addiction, both conditions feed off each other—making recovery feel nearly impossible without the right support.
At Heritage Treatment Link, we specialize in helping individuals overcome dual diagnosis challenges, including the complex relationship between bipolar disorder and drug or alcohol addiction. With a personalized, integrated treatment approach, our team is here to help you stabilize, heal, and regain control of your life.