Dual-Diagnosis Risks From Alcohol & Xanax in Bipolar Adults

Key Takeaways:

Adults with bipolar disorder who drink alcohol and take Xanax are more likely to get a dual diagnosis.
Both of these drugs can make mood swings worse and raise the risk of having both an addiction and a mental illness at the same time.
People with bipolar disorder and a history of substance abuse may misuse benzodiazepines like Xanax.
For recovery, it is very important to get specialized residential drug and alcohol treatment that includes mental health and addiction care.
Early screening and combined therapeutic intervention lower the need for hospitalization, relapse, and improve outcomes.

Introduction

People with bipolar disorder often have big mood swings, going from euphoric mania to deep depression. They may use drugs or alcohol to feel better. Sadly, this raises their chances of getting a dual diagnosis, which is when someone has both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder at the same time.

Adults with bipolar disorder who abuse alcohol and Xanax are caught in a complicated web of mood swings and addiction. It is important to know how these drugs affect underlying bipolar symptoms to provide targeted help and long-term recovery.

How Do Alcohol And Xanax Make It More Likely That Bipolar Adults Will Get A Dual Diagnosis?

People with bipolar disorder may drink alcohol to treat their depression or to calm their manic urges. Clinical studies show that up to 61% of people with bipolar disorder use drugs and alcohol at the same time at some point in their lives. Alcohol can make depressive episodes worse, make suicidal thoughts worse, make it harder to make decisions, and mess up mood cycles.

Bipolar people often get Xanax, a benzodiazepine, to help with anxiety, but it also has its own risks. Long-term use can make you tolerant, dependent, and even abuse benzodiazepines. In PubMed study, almost half of the patients with severe mental illness and substance use disorder had used benzodiazepines at some point. Those who were not prescribed benzodiazepines were more likely to misuse them.

When you mix alcohol and Xanax, they work together to make sedation, cognitive impairment, and emotional dysregulation worse. They might hide symptoms for a while, but over time, they greatly raise the risk of getting a dual diagnosis and make recovery more difficult.

what does research say about integrated care and treatment

What Does Research Say About Integrated Care And Treatment?

SAMHSA stress that screening and treatment for both mental and substance use disorders at the same time lead to better results in prevention, diagnosis, and management.

It is thought that the best way to treat drug and alcohol addiction is to have a residential drug & alcohol treatment program that offers both mental health and addiction services. These centers offer coordinated therapy that deals with both bipolar symptoms and addictive behaviors. Integrated treatment has been shown to lower the number of hospitalizations, relapses, and overall quality of life, as per SAMHSA.

Sequential or parallel approaches often leave gaps when they don’t use integrated models. For example, treating one disorder on its own makes it less likely that the person will follow through and more likely that they will misuse drugs again.

What Role Do Xanax, Alcoholism, Dual Diagnosis, And The Impact Of Xanax Play In This Situation?

Xanax may help people with bipolar disorder who are anxious or can’t sleep for a short time, but it is also very likely to make them dependent on it. The risks go up when you mix it with drinking. Xanax’s sedative effects make alcohol’s depressive effects worse, which leads to a cycle of mood suppression and increased drug dependence.

This situation directly leads to dual diagnosis, which makes it hard to tell the difference between symptoms caused by mental illness and those caused by drugs. In this case, the impact of Xanax can cause cognitive problems, memory loss, and a higher tolerance.

This often leads to higher doses or mixing with alcohol for stronger effects, which makes the addiction worse as observed by NIH.

Why Is Specialized Residential Care So Important For Bipolar Disorder And Substance Abuse Issues?

Clients can get ongoing help in a safe, supervised setting at residential treatment centers that are designed to treat both addiction and mental health issues. These centers help people who are going through withdrawal by giving them medical care, therapy for their underlying mood disorder, and training in life skills.

Holistic programs carefully manage medications, especially mood stabilizers like valproate or lithium. They also put a lot of emphasis on treating alcohol dependence at the same time.

Support groups, planning for avoiding relapses, and getting family involved all help with recovery. Without this model, people are more likely to relapse, end up in the hospital, hurt themselves, become homeless, and have a lower chance of staying free of both bipolar symptoms and substance use (NIH).

What Part Do Evidence-Based Treatments And Advice From Doctors Play?

The most important thing is getting the right diagnosis. Doctors need to check bipolar adults for alcohol use disorder and benzodiazepine dependence early on. Federal agencies provide tools that emphasize integrated assessments to identify seriatim disorders and develop tailored treatments (SAMHSA).

Cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and integrated group therapy are all types of behavioral therapy that can help people learn how to deal with problems and cut down on drug use. When choosing a pharmacotherapy, the risk of addiction must be taken into account. For example, benzodiazepines may be avoided or used for a short time, while alternatives like valproate or naltrexone may help stabilize mood and reduce alcohol cravings.

The End

In short, adults with bipolar disorder who drink alcohol and take Xanax are much more likely to get a dual diagnosis, which is a combination of mood disorder and substance addiction that makes symptoms worse and makes treatment harder. Both drugs make mood swings, suicidal behavior, cognitive dysfunction, and addiction worse, so it’s important to find them early and get them treated together.

If you or someone you care about is dealing with bipolar symptoms and drinking or taking Xanax, getting help is an important step toward getting better. Call us at Tel: 866.377.4409 to learn more about Virtue at the Pointe‘s specialized integrated care for people with two problems.

FAQs:

1. Can having bipolar disorder make someone abuse alcohol or Xanax?

Yes, a lot of people drink alcohol or take benzodiazepines to deal with mood swings or anxiety. This greatly increases the chance of both addiction and mood swings happening at the same time.

2. How does drinking alcohol and taking Xanax together make bipolar symptoms worse?

When used together, they can make depression worse, make thinking harder, mess up sleep patterns, and make emotional dysregulation worse.

3. What is dual-diagnosis treatment, and why is it important?

Integrated care that treats both mental illness and substance use disorder at the same time is called dual-diagnosis treatment. It’s important because treating only one disorder can lead to relapse or bad results.

4. When is it best to get residential treatment?

When both disorders are very bad, when outpatient care hasn’t worked, or when detox and stabilization need structured, supervised help.

5. Are there safer options for treating bipolar disorder than Xanax?

Yes, doctors can give mood stabilizers like valproate or lithium, or drugs and therapies that help people stop wanting alcohol with less risk of becoming dependent.

Citations

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Screening and Treatment of Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. SAMHSA. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov samhsa.gov samhsa.gov

Mary F Brunette et al. Benzodiazepine use and abuse among patients with severe mental illness and substance use disorders. Psychiatric Services, 2003. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14557527/