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Does Substance Abuse Mask Bi-polar Disorder Symptoms?

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Posted on Sat, 29 Mar 2014
Question: Do you think I will be able to get an appointment for my son, who is 26, with a psychiatrist within a week? He is showing signs of being bi-polar, and I'm not sure how to handle it. He lives in another state and so far I've only been able to get him an appt. in a month. There's a government clinic in his city, but I don't think he's together enough to bring the correct items in order to be seen. A month seems too long to wait. Should I go to his city and try to help him? He started to seem bi=polar and delusional about 3 weeks ago, when he stopped doing heroin. Do you think that the three years of opiates/ heroin could have masked his bi-polar issue. ? Two of my siblings have had major nervous breakdowns and had to be hospitalized. Do you think he has inherited this. I'm not sure what my sibings' diagnoses were.
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Answered by Dr. Srikanth Reddy (2 hours later)
Brief Answer: Inheritance is common Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query. I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through. Inheritance is very common among psychiatric disorders. Even if his aunt or uncle are having some psychiatric illness, it predisposes your son to develop psychiatric illness. The substance abuse will never mask the underlying illness. Infact the increased use of substance could have occured cause of the underlying disorder. The combination of subtsance use and psychiatric disorder increases the chances of self harm. You have not mentioned the symptoms that he is having. If you can mentioned the exact symptoms that he is experiencing then we can guide you regarding the diagnosis and necessary treatment. He needs to visit the ER as the symptoms seem to be bad. By going to ER they may start some medicines like mood stabilizer or anti psychotic which will give him some relief until he gets his psychiatry appointment. Hope I am able to answer your concerns. If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you. If not, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer for me, so that I get a good feedback. In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link: bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy Wish you good health, Kind regards Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Follow up: Dr. Srikanth Reddy (5 hours later)
These are some of the symptoms he is having. He says he has lots of energy and exercises all the time. He says that he is in love with a girl and is getting married in the spring and then having lots of children, even though he has never dated this girl at all, or held her hand. He thinks that his other friends somehow know this girl and are helping him to have a relationship with her, even though these friends have never met her. He says that the U. S. Secret Service, or possibly the Dept of Homeland Security is following him and keeping him from getting in traffic XXXXXXX He says he has never been happier in his entire life, (even though he has no job and no money except what I give him.) Yesterday he said he met a movie star at a bar and that person came over to his house and talked to him for a long time. He seems to be having trouble sleeping.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Srikanth Reddy (18 hours later)
Brief Answer: Mania it seems Detailed Answer: Hello Thanks for the add on information. yes, the symptoms appear to be that of bipolar mood disorder, current episode mania. It will require him to to take a mood stabilizer like valproate and an antipsychotic like olanzapine or quetiapine etc. The symptoms will require 2 weeks to settle down and the treatment will continue indefinately. As suggested by me previously you need to take him to the ER as mania is an emergency and it may involve the risk of self harm. Regards Dr. Srikanth Reddy
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Srikanth Reddy

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Practicing since :2007

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Does Substance Abuse Mask Bi-polar Disorder Symptoms?

Brief Answer: Inheritance is common Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query. I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through. Inheritance is very common among psychiatric disorders. Even if his aunt or uncle are having some psychiatric illness, it predisposes your son to develop psychiatric illness. The substance abuse will never mask the underlying illness. Infact the increased use of substance could have occured cause of the underlying disorder. The combination of subtsance use and psychiatric disorder increases the chances of self harm. You have not mentioned the symptoms that he is having. If you can mentioned the exact symptoms that he is experiencing then we can guide you regarding the diagnosis and necessary treatment. He needs to visit the ER as the symptoms seem to be bad. By going to ER they may start some medicines like mood stabilizer or anti psychotic which will give him some relief until he gets his psychiatry appointment. Hope I am able to answer your concerns. If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you. If not, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer for me, so that I get a good feedback. In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link: bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy Wish you good health, Kind regards Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.