Photo by Mike Gonzalez The Northeastern Alano Club on 3100 Piper Rd. holds at least two closed meetings called Over the Bridge every day, to talk about substance abuse issues in a support group.

ALPENA — A large study received on Nov. 10, 2023, conducted by the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program and the University of Michigan, found that people with bipolar disorder are four to six times more likely to die at a younger age than those without the disorder.

Research showed that people with bipolar disorder were more likely to have asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, migraines, and more, than those without bipolar disorder.

According to the study, up to 70% of all people with bipolar disorder smoke, which is higher than the worldwide average which is about 20% of all people.

The study analyzed records of more than 10,700 people with bipolar disorder, meaning over 7,000 of those patients smoke.

Anita Tanner, a psychotherapist with a private practice, said that she understands many people with bipolar disorder try to cope with their mental health through unhealthy mechanisms, which can lead to other diseases that cause earlier death.

For example, the study acknowledges that bipolar disorder is not regarded as a leading cause of death by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but said that heart disease, cancer, strokes, and more are the leading causes of death, which all have a strong correlation to smoking and other voluntary health risks.

“The study showed that 70% of the patients were smokers and a lot of people might cope with substance abuse or overeating, which has negative impacts on their physical health,” Tanner said. “To make matters worse, psychotropic medication prescribed for bipolar disorder can have adverse effects that can also make things difficult.”

According to Tanner, people with bipolar disorder should try to practice healthy coping mechanisms by seeing a therapist for guidance. They should also have a support group to keep up with medical appointments.

Tanner said that doctors usually want an annual or quarterly check-up with patients who are on long-term medication to make sure it’s helping the person.

“It can be difficult to follow through with medical appointments,” Tanner said. “Depressive phases can make it difficult to go anywhere and if you can’t make it to the appointments, they won’t give you the medication. There can also be manic phrases where the person may not want to follow through with appointments and stop taking their medication.”

Tanner recommends having a support group — family, friends, those struggling with the same problems, or any supportive organization — to help push and support the person to cope in healthier ways.

For anyone struggling with substance abuse, Northeastern Alano Club on 3100 Piper Rd. holds at least two meetings called Over the Bridge every day, usually one in the morning and another in the evening, to talk about these issues in a support group.

If you are feeling suicidal or need someone to talk to, you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.