Marijuana use linked to bipolar disorder - which came first?

America has been waging an all-out war on drugs for close to a century. While recreational drug use is definitely considered “antisocial” behavior by many, and “hard” drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine are definitely linked to serious physical and mental health problems, questions still remain as to the actual damaging effects of recreational use of “softer” drugs such as marijuana.

Is marijuana use masking more serious mental health problems, or is it contributing to those problems?

A study performed at the Netherlands National Institute of Mental Health and Addiction set out to discover a link between marijuana use and mood disorders such as bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression. Researchers wanted to determine if a disproportionate number of those who went on to develop mood disorders had previously smoked marijuana. Clearly, these researchers were operating under the assumption that marijuana use would trigger a mood disorder.

Their findings showed that there was a link between marijuana use and onset of bipolar disorder as well as anxiety disorder, but their results were inconclusive as to why. Interestingly, the possibility that the disorder was undiagnosed and untreated before the marijuana use was not discussed.

Mood disorders such as bipolar are considered almost impossible to diagnose in children. Yet adults with bipolar disorder can often remember feeling different and having episodes from as early as the age of nine.

“Teens and adults with bipolar disorder are the most self-medicating emotional disorder group, often turning to drugs and alcohol to quell their mood swings,” says Nicole Gregston, a case manager with Mental Health and Mental Retardation (MHMR) in Austin, Texas.

The marijuana may not be triggering the bipolar disorder. Instead, the subjects of the study may be smoking marijuana to cope with their moods.

In fact, the New York State Commission on the Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled stated in 1986 that at least half of all patients seeking care in New York State at the time had co-occurring substance abuse problems. Such overwhelming numbers point to a definite link between emotional disorders and drug or alcohol addictions.

Much more research is needed in this area. Finding a diagnosis scale, for example, that can catch bipolar disorder earlier would alleviate individuals of the need to turn to drugs and alcohol as a way of coping.

People with bipolar disorder often report that drugs and alcohol reduce incidence of damaging manias while allowing them to still feel good. It only stands to reason, then, that they would want to abuse drugs and alcohol. This works for a while, then turns on the individual, often leading to another problem: addiction.

Vilification of drugs will not help as we explore this research frontier.

© Copyright 2007 Insight Journal Online Magazine.

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