A study done by a Massachusetts General Hospital found that teens with bipolar disorder are at a greater risk of smoking and substance abuse. "This work confirms that bipolar disorder in adolescents is a huge risk factor for smoking and substance abuse, as big a risk factor as juvenile delinquency," study leader Dr. Timothy Wilens, director of substance abuse services in MGH Pediatric Psychopharmacology, said. He added "It could be that the onset of mood dysregulation in adolescence puts kids at even higher risk for poor judgment and self-medication of their symptoms," Wilens said. "It also could be that some genetic switch activated in adolescence turns on both BPD and substance abuse in these youngsters. That's something that we are currently investigating in genetic and neuro-imaging studies of this group." Someone in my family has BPD and it was found when she was a teen and she smokes to this day. I wonder if she has what they found in this study.

Don't they have medicine for BPD..?  Why would someone need to self medicate when they're already getting treated?  Drugs are most likely going to make the disorder worse, so that you have withdrawals mixed with heavy moodswings..

One of my friend's mom has bipolar disorder and has a history of drug addiction.  Now she's addicted to opiates like oxycontin and codeine and I think she takes meds for her BPD.  Some days she acts like a straight lunatic and he's had to apologize for her behavior more times than he can remember. I feel bad for him because she doesn't always manage her disorder in the right way.  But I agree with you guys, doing drugs definately makes symptoms of BPD way worse.  Especially stimulants like meth causes additional anxiety.  It causes them to be a danger to themselves and others because the mood swings can turn violent.