Can substance abuse cause bipolar disorder? Is there treatment for bipolar and addiction? These are just some of the many questions people ask when they struggle with the disease. Maintaining good mental health is critical to your long-term happiness and sobriety. That is why facilities like Spirit Mountain specialize in addiction and bipolar disorder treatment.
What Causes Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is usually caused by genetics. Changes in brain structure and function can also cause it.
But can substance abuse cause bipolar disorder? Generally, no, but many people are misdiagnosed, especially with bipolar disorder. Someone who struggles with bipolar disorder might be misdiagnosed as having severe depression, so the medication they are given or the treatment they are provided doesn’t work. In these situations and others, people turn to self-medication like drugs and alcohol.
Drugs and alcohol can make symptoms of things like bipolar disorder worse, leading to more severe addiction.
What is the Relationship Between Addiction and Bipolar Disorder?
Unfortunately, there is a strong relationship between addiction and bipolar disorder because so many people are misdiagnosed; even those who are accurately diagnosed may turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate their bipolar symptoms.
People who don’t have the right medication for their bipolar disorder or don’t know how to recognize and manage the symptoms might find it easier to cope with drugs and alcohol, which, when used regularly, can quickly lead to an addiction.
Can Substance Abuse Cause Bipolar Disorder?
No, but substance abuse certainly makes it worse. People with bipolar disorder are born with that mental health problem and must find ways to cope with the long-term symptoms. This is where a good dual diagnosis rehab center plays such a critical role. Utah rehab centers that treat mental health disorders and addiction can offer tools like:
- Individual therapy to help you uncover individual triggers that might make bipolar episodes worse
- Medication management to help you determine which medication is best for the type of bipolar disorder you have
- Group therapy so that you understand you are not alone in your struggle
- Holistic or complementary treatments like art therapy, music therapy, yoga, meditation, and stress management skills which you can apply to your daily life when your bipolar episodes get worse
How to Find Bipolar Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Nearly half of people who struggle with things like depression also have an addiction, so finding a center that offers treatment for both is in your best interest. Otherwise, you might get help for your physical addiction but still have to deal with the symptoms of your mental health disorder.
For that reason, you can find types of addiction treatment that focus not only on physical addiction but on your mental health disorders.
In these situations, you might get an initial detox and therapy to help you overcome your addiction while also getting therapy and medication management for:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Bipolar disorder
- PTSD
Bipolar disorder, in particular, requires the right treatment so that you have the tools and the medication to manage your symptoms throughout the rest of your life.
Getting help treating addiction and bipolar disorder means finding a facility that offers dual diagnosis services. Dual diagnosis, sometimes referred to as co-occurring treatment, gives you treatment for bipolar and addiction at the same time.
This helps you uncover what underlying factors may have contributed to your addiction, identify triggers, and figure out how to best manage your symptoms.
At Spirit Mountain Recovery, we get asked can substance abuse cause bipolar disorder all the time. Our team specializes in answering these questions and helping you find the right treatment for bipolar and addiction. Only by improving your mental health can you be in a place to improve your physical addiction as well. If you are ready for treatment for bipolar and addiction, let Spirit Mountain Recovery help! Contact us today to learn about our men’s rehab programs or co-ed outpatient treatment in Utah.
