Psychoactive substances: risks in bipolar disorders

Substance abuse or dependency problems are very frequent in the bipolar population, involving about 50% of patients according to some studies. Seven out of ten bipolar men abuse alcohol during mania, thus complicating its course. The goal of this session above all is for our patients to become aware of the risk, not of hard drugs (if indeed the distinction between hard and soft drugs makes any sense), but of more everyday-drugs like coffee and alcohol. This awareness is crucial because the number of bipolar patients who use caffeine is very high and the majority of them do not even view this behavior as a problem, although its effect on sleep and on comorbid pathologies that are very common in bipolar disorders such as panic attacks is very obvious.