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4 • Mood
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substance use
How common are mood disorders?
• Mood disorders are very common. Approximately 6% of Australians experience mood
disorders each year. Females are more likely than males to experience a mood disorder.
• Depression is the most common mood disorder, with around one in twenty, or 5%, of
Australians experiencing it each year.
• Bipolar disorder is less common, with approximately 1% of Australians experiencing
it each year.
• Mood disorders are even more common among people who have alcohol, tobacco or
other drug problems. Over 17% of people who have an alcohol or other drug disorder
have depression, and over 4% have bipolar disorder.
• If you have a mood disorder, you are not alone.
What causes a mood disorder?
• There is no single cause of mood disorders. However, there are several factors that can
contribute to the development of a mood disorder such as:
—A family history of depression or mood disorders
—Chemical imbalances in the brain
—Life experiences (e.g., stress)
—Significant life events (e.g., child birth, menopause, bereavement)
—Alcohol or other drug use
Mood disorders and substance use
• Sometimes people use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs to cope with their depressive or manic
episodes. This is often called ‘self-medication’.
• While alcohol, tobacco or other drug use may
provide short-term relief from depression or mania,
in the long-term, it can actually make them worse.
These symptoms can also be heightened when
people are craving alcohol, tobacco or other drugs,
or when they are coming down or withdrawing
from alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.
• This can lead to a cycle where the person’s
mood and alcohol, tobacco or other drug use
feed off each other (see Figure 1). Some people
find that they develop alcohol, tobacco or other
drug problems because they feel that they need
to drink or use greater amounts more frequently
to cope with their moods.
Figure 1:
Cycle of mood, cravings, and alcohol,
tobacco or other drug use
Alcohol, tobacco
or other drug use
Mood
Craving