Abstract
Analysis of 447 schizophrenic inpatients found a lifetime prevalence for substance use of 42.9% (3-month prevalence 29%). While the overall differences were small between schizophrenics using (dual diagnosis) and those not using substances, dual-diagnosis patients in general reported more positive symptoms, especially more intense hallucinations. These differences were observed in patients with current (3-month) substance use on admission but not on discharge, possibly as a result of substance use. The most marked differencses were in previous suicide attempts and delinquency, which were more prevalent in dual-diagnosis schizophrenics. These findings indicate that patients with dual diagnosis are more disturbed than other schizophrenics. We discuss the implications for the self-medication hypothesis for substance use in schizophrenia and future research in this area are discussed.
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Already published in: Steinkopf-Verlag Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci (2001) 251:232–238
Michael Soyka Psychiatric Hospital, University of Munich, Nußbaumstraße 7, 80336 Munich, Germany, e-mail: Michael.Soyka@psy.med.uni-muenchen.de
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Soyka, M., Albus, M., Immler, B. et al. Psychopathology in dual-diagnosis and nonaddicted schizophrenics: are there differences?. Eur J Health Econom 3 (Suppl 2), s114–s120 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-002-0125-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-002-0125-6