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. 

My friends mom also has a bipolar disorder. And she always got in the way of mine and my friends relationship. She was so crazy. Like once we decided to go out to breakfast, he didn't drive then so I came and picked him up. We were younger in high school, his mom gave him money smiled, waved goodbye she was being so nice. Then after an hour as we were eating she just completely flipped! She called him yelling at him telling him she cant believe that he would leave her home alone and that he's so selfish and that she wants him home that instant. I came over a few days later and she was hugging me telling me how I was like her son and she loved me and if I ever needed anything I could turn to her, things like that. The next day I was over her house. All of a sudden I heard her yelling, her best friend came over, and as soon as she rang the door bell his mom was yelling at her telling her to get the hell out of her house and all then when she saw my face she kicked me out too. Literally that night she called me told me to come over and spend the night. She was so strange :-S

Some cases of bipolar are definitely more manic than others.  Both of your friends mother's may not have been medicating at all.  I can sort of understand why some people would choose not to medicate because it can take a while to get use to.  One of my friends said that she slept for almost 2 weeks straight when she first started her meds, and she quit because she couldn't function.  Instead she used weed to self medicate, and I don't think that necessarily helped her.  It numbed her, but I don't think her illness was improving at all.