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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2000, 02, 2 (pages: 35 - 42)

Opioids and cannabinoids abuse among bipolar patients

Maremmani I., Canoniero S., Pacini M., Lazzeri A., Placidi G. F.

Summary: Substance abuse is known to be a risk factor for the development of some types of mental illness, especially in individuals with premorbid vulnerability or psychopathology, but the psychopathology itself may be a risk factor for addictive disorders or a modifier of the course of addictive disorders. In our clinical experience with heroin addiction, the prevalence rates for the bipolar disorder was quite high. More than 50% of the patients had an adjunctive diagnosis of bipolar disorders. In many cases they met the criteria for a diagnosis of bipolar I, bipolar II or cyclothymic disorder. So bipolar I and bipolar II disorders are more frequent than depressive ones. Bipolar patients are well represented among cannabinoid abusers, and schizophrenic spectrum patients among cannabinoid non-abusers. Interestingly, the number of bipolar patients who continued to abuse cannabinoids after the onset of the first episode was higher than that of schizophrenic spectrum patients. In conclusion, our data support the increasing evidence of high rates of co-occurring bipolar and addictive disorders.