Differential Impact of Depressive and Manic Mood States on Alcohol Craving in Comorbid Bipolar Alcoholism: Preliminary Findings.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the differential impact of depressive and manic mood states on alcohol craving in patients with bipolar disorder and comorbid alcoholism.


METHODS
Forty-four men and women, ages 18-65, with DSM-IV-TR comorbid diagnoses of bipolar I disorder and alcohol dependence were assessed over a three-month period to examine the extent to which their depressive and manic symptoms were associated with alcohol cravings (i.e., desire to use and not to use alcohol) at each assessment point, controlling for age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, baseline alcohol use, and number of assessments.


RESULTS
Both manic and depressive symptoms were associated with greater desire to use alcohol. Only depressive symptomatology was associated with reduced desirenotto use alcohol, and desire not to use alcohol declined over the course of the three-month treatment period.


CONCLUSIONS
Whereas enhanced desire to drink alcohol may be a conditioned reaction to both manic and depressed mood states, desire not to drink alcohol may be more of an indicator of treatment motivation, which is negatively affected by depressed mood. Depressive symptoms may warrant prioritization and aggressive targeting early in treatment given that desire to refrain from alcohol use was only influenced by depressive symptoms and declined over the course of treatment.
Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine.
Dalia N
DN
Balsamo
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Antoine
A
Douaihy
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Jack R
JR
Cornelius
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Dennis C
DC
Daley
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy.
Levent
L
Kirisci
Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami-Miller School of Medicine; Carlos Albizu University, Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology.
Scott M
SM
Hyman
Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami-Miller School of Medicine.
Ihsan M
IM
Salloum
alcohol use disorder; bipolar disorder; craving; depression; mania