Dual diagnosis, in the context of bipolar disease with addiction/alcoholism/substance abuse, has always presented difficulty to diagnosticians, because the symptoms of one disease tend to hide among the symptoms of the other disease.

This article should help you to see where symptoms may "overlap" and, with a little honest personal inventory or the help of a health professional, to help  you to see whether you or your loved one should seek direction or help.

DUAL DIAGNOSIS IDENTIFIERS

Some or all of these may exist in your profile

You may be able to add other identifiers, based on you own experience in recovery--for instance, rage is a prominent part of my profile in my own manic state and often part of my nature and behavior when I was "in my cups" with alcoholism.

CAUTION: Please do not instantly adopt as truth everything you read on these topics. Please look for supporting information from other sources; look for authority and experience underlying opinions; look for research; and, most of all, please begin to talk with and listen to others who have gone through what you are going through. Find out what works for them. Become aware. This is not a time to hide your feelings or to ignore your instincts.

Remember however, if I have episodic extremes of mood or excesses in my use of alchohol or drugs, the identifiers are merely indicators or signposts, if you will, that there may be trouble ahead.  They do not necessarily mean that I have a disease, but I DO need to give these identifiers fair consideration when I see them in myself!

Article by James Rist
www.cerebral-storm.com
www.blessedtobebonkers.com