Bipolar and Methamphetamine Use Disorder

The Connections Between Bipolar Disorder and Meth Addiction

The powerful connection between bipolar and methamphetamine use disorder can be something of a two-way street. Many with mood disorders, especially during depressive symptoms, use meth to feel energized or focused. Here’s the other side of the picture.

Meth is a powerful stimulant and disrupts the brain’s serotonin and dopamine levels, so using it can lead to bipolar disorder-like behavioral problems.

Icarus Behavioral Health is a Joint Commission-accredited mental health treatment center in Las Vegas. We’ve treated clients with bipolar disorder, meth use, and other drug abuse successfully over the years. Our team is well-versed in the dynamics that occur between bipolar and meth addiction and can help break the harmful cycle.

If you or a loved one is struggling with bipolar symptoms but has turned to meth to cope, we urge you to keep reading. We’ll look into the psychiatric comorbidity between the two and give you fresh hope for the future.

Meth Addiction and Co-Occurring Bipolar Disorder

When methamphetamine dependence and bipolar disorder occur together in an individual, they create prime conditions for volatile mood episodes. Meth boosts the brain’s dopamine activity, which leads to extreme heights followed by highly emotional crashes.

These can worsen the mood swings of bipolar disorder. Someone with bipolar disorder may turn to methamphetamine use (or other illicit drugs) to feel better during depressive episodes, which only adds to an already unstable situation.

Methamphetamine use by people with mood disorders can lead to recurrent episodes. That means they may have hospitalizations, relationship problems, and feel isolated. BD patients are also at an increase of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

The Nature and Sub-Types of Bipolar Affective Disorders

BAD is a mood disorder characterized by cycling depression and elevated moods. It goes beyond the general moodiness someone might feel on a horrible day. These shifts can zap a person’s energy, cause poor decision-making, and disrupt daily functioning.

Bipolar has several sub-types, with the most frequent including Bipolar Disorder I, Bipolar Disorder II, and Cyclothymic Disorder.

Bipolar I Disorder

A person with Bipolar I has at least one full manic episode, sometimes followed by depressive episodes. Manic episodes include:

• High energy
• Racing thoughts
• Less need for sleep
• Irregularly high self-esteem
• Impulsive behaviors (without regard for safety)
• Psychosis

Meth use can mimic or worsen the psychiatric symptoms, which makes it challenging to discern between the drug effects and the mental illness.

Bipolar II Disorder

Bipolar II leads to a milder form of mania, hypomania and involves at least one major depressive episode. Hypomanic episodes are less severe than full manic episodes and can include these signs. Still, the person may engage in risky behavior or have significant sleep loss.

If the doctor misses the hypomanic episodes in the clinical assessment, they sometimes inaccurately diagnose the person with depression alone. That mistake can have negative consequences on the person’s overall well-being.

Cyclothymic Disorder

People with cyclothymic disorder, a milder form of bipolar disorder, often try to manage their symptoms with substance abuse. CD includes frequent, sometimes rapid cycling, mood swings.

The episodes are almost always less intense than Bipolar I. However, the ongoing and frequent instability is an underlying cause of worsening mental health and substance use disorders.

Understanding Bipolar Symptoms

This table explains the symptoms that are inclusion criteria for a bipolar disorder diagnosis, according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5):

The Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder Types Compared

SYMPTOMS OF BIPOLAR	BIPOLAR I	BIPOLAR II	CYCLOTHYMIC DISORDER
Primarily full manic episodes	x
Primarily hypomanic episodes		x
Mild depressive symptoms			x
Mood swings lasting 2+ years			x
Psychosis episodes (during manic symptoms)	x
Rapid or ultra rapid cycling	x	x	x
Increased activity/energy levels	x	x	x
Sleep disturbances	x	x	x
Impulsive/risky behaviors	x	x	x

Major Depression Versus Bipolar Depression

The symptoms of bipolar and major depressive disorder may appear similar on the surface. However, there are significant differences between the two. Bipolar tends to have extreme mood swings without a clear trigger for the change. It can also be difficult to treat, often requiring extensive cognitive behavioral therapy and similar strategies.

On the other hand, the symptoms of major depression usually emerge slowly, with the mood symptoms shifting into depression happening over days or weeks. People find relief with professional treatment and appropriate pharmacological treatment and don’t have manic episodes to contend with.

Assessing and Diagnosing Depressive Mood Disorders

Properly diagnosing psychiatric disorders in people who use meth can be challenging. However, accurate diagnosis of comorbid methamphetamine use with Bipolar is foundational to making a recovery. The Icarus Nevada team takes the time to complete a thorough mental health evaluation. We work hard to understand substance abuse patterns, family history, and current mood and symptoms.

We use evidence-based tools and rely on our experience to ensure that clients get an accurate diagnosis and safe, effective treatment. Why is the diagnostic process so important?

The Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) was a long-term National Institutes of Health (NIH) study. The researchers found that people with bipolar disorder make statistically significant progress with a personalized program that includes mood stabilizers, therapy, and professional treatment.

Bipolar Disorder and Other Substance Use Disorders

Methamphetamine use disorder is not the only commonly co-occurring substance use in people with bipolar disorder. Other frequent co-occurrences include cannabis use disorder and alcohol use disorder. Those struggling with bipolar disorder use these substances for the same reason – to soothe the underlying mental health condition.

Regardless of the drug of choice, masking the symptoms of bipolar disorder with drugs or alcohol is dangerous. If this sounds like you or a loved one, then it’s time to seek professional treatment options for your bipolar disorder

Treatment Options for Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Bipolar

Dual diagnosis Bipolar Disorder and meth treatment requires a customized, careful approach. The first step is stabilizing the person. That means ensuring they are safe and managing their withdrawal symptoms. Some bipolar disorder plus substance abuse treatment plan components we offer may include:

• Medication management (Mood stabilizers, atypical antipsychotics, or other medications)
• Evidence-based behavioral health therapies
• Individual and group counseling
• Family therapy to help loved ones understand the intersecting substance use disorder and mental illness
• Coping strategies and life skills training to better manage their mental disorders in the future
• Ongoing monitoring
• Relapse prevention strategies

Addressing Bipolar Disorder and its Mood Cycles

Bipolar disorder feels much worse than “ups and downs,” which some well-intended family members and friends sometimes can’t understand. Instead, it’s a serious condition that impacts the person’s sleep, energy levels, thought patterns, and relationships. Worse, it’s so unpredictable that it mood changes strike without any warning.

Icarus Nevada knows that successful treatment requires a deep understanding of bipolar disorder cycles. We help clients recognize their early warning signs and develop healthy routines to avoid future substance use. With our support, many people with bipolar disorder have graduated from our program and now lead happy, stable lives.

GiGi Came to Icarus for Dual Diagnosis Treatment

GiGi was a finance professional at the top of her game until her untreated bipolar disorder and methamphetamine use reached a boiling point. During her manic episodes, GiGi felt invincible; meth use fueled this illusion.

When the inevitable crash came, she faced devastating outcomes. She lost her job, home, and a boyfriend she loved. Desperate for help with her mental health, GiGi came to Icarus in Las Vegas. In our care, she found compassionate, personalized care.

Our team helped stabilize her moods and detox her safely. We created a customized treatment plan, addressing both the meth use disorder and the bipolar disorder. Provided with therapy and structure, Gigi began to heal.

Today, she takes a prescription for her mood disorder and goes to the gym several days a week to avoid unnecessary stress. She’s reconnected with family and has a stable support system, a job, and housing. Gigi’s story proves overcoming adversity is possible with proper therapy and support.

Using Health Insurance for Bipolar Disorder and Substance Use Disorder Treatment

The top group and private health insurance plans cover mental health conditions. Whether you need help with bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, or have a dual diagnosis, you are eligible to receive medically necessary treatment.

When Obamacare rolled out in 2010, it recognized that people with mental illnesses were at an increased risk of worsening conditions.

Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed, treatment for meth use and other substances have been covered. We’re happy to help you; we’ll even call your insurance company to ensure you get the benefits you deserve.

Trust Icarus Nevada for Long-Term Recovery Support

Struggling with dual diagnosis bipolar disorder and meth use is extremely dangerous and can lead to steep declines in your mental health. You don’t need to risk your physical safety and mental illness any longer.

Call Icarus Behavioral Health’s Las Vegas, Nevada, location today. We can accommodate emergency admissions; don’t hesitate to call us if you are in bipolar disorder distress.