Researchers from the University of Manitoba find in a new study that a quarter or more of individuals with mood disorders self-medicate with alcohol and other drugs, MedWire News reported Nov. 18.

Researcher James Bolton and colleagues looked at data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, involving 43,093 adults, and found that 24.1 percent of individuals with any mood disorder (8,420 subjects) self-medicated with alcohol or drugs. Among those suffering from bipolar disorder, self-medication was most common during depressive episodes, with 41 percent of bipolar I disorder patients and 34.7 percent of bipolar II disorder patients reporting self-medication.

Self-medication was also significantly associated with comorbid panic disorder and dependent personality disorder among men, and generalized anxiety disorder and dependent personality disorder among women. Divorced and widowed individuals also were more likely to self-medicate.

Inverse relationships between self-medication and alcohol and drug use were observed in populations 45–64 years old, greater than 65 years old, and among black, Asian, Hawaiian, and Hispanic populations.

"Clinicians should assess alcohol, drug, and prescription medication misuse in this population, as well as reasons for use, as this information may help identify a subgroup of mood-disorder patients requiring greater services," the researchers concluded.

The findings were published online Nov. 10, 2008 in the Journal of Affective Disorders.