Bipolar depression and alcohol have a long history together. People with the condition often turn to drinking to cope with their symptoms. In this article, we’ll explore that phenomenon.
Understanding Bipolar Depression
Bipolar depression refers to a phase of bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression), a type of mental illness in which a person oscillates between feelings of extreme euphoria and sadness, leaning more toward sadness. Bipolar depression is when a person with bipolar disorder is experiencing the depressive phase of the disorder.
Living with BPD can be difficult – and it can be even harder to live with someone with it. This sort of person may experience an inability to feel joy and constantly fear abandonment and betrayal, lashing out at and alienating those around them.
Bipolar disorder breaks down into main variants:
- Bipolar I Disorder (BD I): Characterized by at least one full manic episode (which may be preceded or followed by hypomanic or major depressive episodes).
- Bipolar II Disorder (BD II): Characterized by at least one hypomanic episode and one major depressive episode, but no full-blown manic episodes.
According to the DSM-5, diagnosing bipolar disorders hinges on identifying manic or hypomanic episodes alongside possible depressive episodes. Bipolar I demands at least one manic episode, whereas Bipolar II involves hypomania plus major depression.
People with bipolar depression, as with other forms of clinical depression, tend to turn to alcohol to self-medicate their symptoms. This can easily lead to a dual diagnosis of both alcohol use disorder (AUD) and mental illness. Dual diagnoses are difficult to treat because they’re two separate conditions with different risk factors that nonetheless feed into each other in a vicious cycle.
Signs and Symptoms of Bipolar Depression
People with bipolar depression experience a range of symptoms during their low mood phases, which can include:
- Feelings of emptiness, extreme sadness, or a sense that nothing is worthwhile
- A marked decrease in enjoyment of previously rewarding or pleasurable activities
- Significant weight loss or gain or a noticeable change in appetite
- Sleeping too much (hypersomnia) or too little (insomnia)
- Persistent tiredness that makes even simple tasks feel overwhelming
- Ongoing negative thoughts about oneself, feelings of guilt, or helplessness
- Trouble focusing, remembering details, or maintaining mental clarity.
- Restlessness or slowed speech and movement.
- Thoughts of death, dying, or self-harm, which should be taken very seriously
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Call 866-881-1184The Link Between Alcohol and Bipolar Depression
Bipolar depression and alcohol are intimately linked. Alcoholism has the greatest rate of co-occurrence with bipolar illness. Over 46% of people with bipolar I and over 40% of those with bipolar II have AUD. A 2006 study of bipolar depression and alcohol found a direct link between alcohol consumption and rates of depressive or manic episodes.
While at first it can seem to alleviate depression, alcohol can amplify symptoms over time. The use of alcohol as a coping mechanism for bipolar depression can lead to a worsening of symptoms over time. Alcohol is a depressant that can exacerbate feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and fatigue.
Additionally, alcohol can interfere with the effectiveness of medications used to manage bipolar disorder, further complicating treatment. It is crucial for individuals with bipolar depression to seek professional help and find healthy ways to manage their symptoms rather than turning to alcohol, which can ultimately worsen their condition.
Needless to say, bipolar depression and alcohol don’t mix.
Why Do People with Bipolar Depression Turn to Alcohol?
There are a couple of reasons people turn to alcohol when dealing with bipolar depression:
- Self-Medication: People will use alcohol to get temporary relief from depression or to calm their nerves during manic episodes.
- Impaired Judgement: Once in a depressive state, a person’s judgment is impaired, and they cannot interpret reality clearly. This can lead to poor decision-making, like drinking alcohol while suffering from bipolar depression.
- Social Factors: People with bipolar depression may feel disconnected from others, and alcohol can act as a social lubricant or a way to deal with loneliness. Peer pressure can also come into play, especially if all of the person’s friends are drinking.
- Stigma Surrounding Treatment: Fear of judgment may prevent seeking help, leading individuals to self-medicate with alcohol instead of addressing their mental health openly.
To break this cycle, it’s important for individuals with bipolar disorder to receive integrated treatment that addresses both the mental health condition and any co-occurring substance use disorders. This often involves therapy, medication, and support groups tailored to the unique challenges of bipolar depression. By doing this, the link between bipolar depression and alcohol can be broken.
How Alcohol Worsens Bipolar Depression Symptoms
According to a study of 584 adults with bipolar depression and alcohol addiction, alcohol use was linked to increased depressive symptoms, as well as lower workplace functioning. These effects were seen over a span of six months. Another study from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation found alcohol worsens bipolar symptoms. Over a five-year period, it found that drinking above one’s typical amount led to heightened symptoms of mania, particularly in those with BD II.
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Check Your CoverageThe Importance of Treating Both Mental Health and Addiction in California
If you or a loved one are seeking treatment for bipolar depression and alcohol addiction, South Coast Behavioral Health is here to help. The first step in treating any addiction is a medical detox. This means using drugs to manage withdrawal symptoms.
Our medical detox program in California is staffed by caring and compassionate professionals who can provide you with medications to manage your withdrawal symptoms.
At South Coast, we take pride in offering care that is closely tailored to specific issues. To that end, we offer gender-specific detox programs, with medical detox for men in Irvine, CA, and medical detox for women in Huntington Beach, CA.
After detoxing, proper treatment can begin.
Treatment for substance abuse takes place along an entire spectrum of care. Along that entire spectrum are various behavioral therapies, support groups, and the use of medically-assisted treatment (MAT).
These levels of treatment are, in order, as follows:
Residential Treatment in California
After successfully completing medical detox, you’ll receive inpatient treatment in Orange County, California. There, you’ll receive medically-assisted treatment and dual diagnosis treatment to treat your BPD and weed addiction simultaneously.
We also offer residential treatment facilities in Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Huntington Beach for those who desire gender-specific treatment. There, patients get round-the-clock medical attention and monitoring while living at the institution full-time.
In addition to individual and group counseling and medication management, you’ll also have access to leisure activities and family support services.
Partial Hospitalization in California
Most clients start substance abuse treatment with South Coast in our residential treatment program. After completing that, many desire something that still provides structure and support but with extra space and time to oneself. For that, we offer Partial Hospitalization in Newport Beach.
A step down from inpatient care but with more structure than conventional outpatient programs, partial hospitalization offers a good balance for those looking to ease back into normal life. Clients can receive care five to seven days a week for a number of hours each day, returning back to their homes in the evening.
This way, they can recover without putting their daily lives completely on hold, receiving intense therapeutic interventions like group and individual therapy, skill development, and medication management as necessary.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment in California
For those leaving inpatient residential treatment or partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs (IOP) are yet another gradual step forward on the road to recovery.
With a focus on group therapy, individual counseling, and education, clients undergoing Intensive Outpatient Treatment in Newport Beach can meet three to five days a week. Each session lasts three hours.
This level of care requires the least amount of attendance at a facility.
Start Today
If you or a loved one are struggling with bipolar depression and alcohol addiction but wonder how long addiction treatment takes or have other questions, call us at 866-881-1184 or contact us here. Our highly qualified staff will be happy to help give you an idea of what to expect from your addiction recovery timeline, help verify your insurance, and assist with any other questions you may have.
- Table 12, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Bipolar I Disorder Comparison – DSM-5 Changes – NCBI Bookshelf
- Longitudinal Interplay Between Alcohol Use, Mood, and Functioning in Bipolar Spectrum Disorders | Substance Use and Addiction Medicine | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network
- Bipolar Disorder and Alcoholism – PMC
- Alcohol Use Worsens Bipolar Symptoms, Study Finds | Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
