Bipolar disorder and addictions: the elephant in the room

Paul R A Stokes; Nicola J Kalk; Allan H Young

doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.116.193912

Bipolar disorder and addictions: the elephant in the room

Br J Psychiatry. 2017 Sep;211(3):132-134. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.116.193912.

Authors

Paul R A Stokes¹, Nicola J Kalk², Allan H Young²

Affiliations

¹ Paul R. A. Stokes, PhD, Nicola J. Kalk, PhD, Allan H. Young, FRCPsych, Centre far Affective Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK paul.r.stokes@kcl.ac.uk.
² Paul R. A. Stokes, PhD, Nicola J. Kalk, PhD, Allan H. Young, FRCPsych, Centre far Affective Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.

PMID: 28864753
DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.116.193912

Abstract

Addictions are highly prevalent in bipolar disorder and greatly affect clinical outcomes. In this editorial, we review the evidence that addictions are a key challenge in bipolar disorder, examine putative neurobiological mechanisms, and reflect on the limited clinical trial evidence base with suggestions for treatment strategies and further developments.

Publication types

Editorial

MeSH terms

Bipolar Disorder / drug therapy
Bipolar Disorder / epidemiology
Bipolar Disorder / therapy*
Comorbidity
Humans
Substance-Related Disorders / drug therapy
Substance-Related Disorders / epidemiology
Substance-Related Disorders / therapy*