Affective temperament is a phenotype underpinned by a constitutional substrate.

It represents signs related to certain mood stability and attitudes to react to environmental stimuli.

Temperament has been related to predisposition to bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is highly related to Substance Abuse Disorders but it is less clear which affective temperaments are more involved in this relation and if they can influence substance abuse patterns.

The aim of this study was to investigate temperamental traits, according to the Akiskal and Mallya formulation, in patients with bipolar I disorder associated with comorbid substance abuse disorders.

Data from 120 patients with Bipolar Disorders and Comorbid substance abuse disorders, were assessed in inpatient unit.

The brief TEMPS- M self-questionnaire was used to assess the temperamental distribution. The temperamental scores on various outcomes were investigated using Sperman rank (Rho), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Cluster Ananlysis (CA).

Chyclothymia was positively correlated to Opiate Addiction (ρ 0.18 p< 0.001).

Irritability was positive correlated with Alchol Abuse and Cannabis Abuse (ρ 0.26 and 0.27 p< 0.001).

The PCA and CA did not show statistically significant results although showed a trend to link irritability with alchool abuse.

Our results suggest that bipolar patients with comorbid substance abuse disorders exhibit a prevalent temperament of irritable and cyclothymic related to alcohol and cannabis abuse and opiate dependence respectively. Further studies are needed to explore this relationship.