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Differences in substance abuse patterns: multiple drug abuse alone versus schizophrenia with multiple drug abuse
M Lammertink1, F Löhrer, R Kaiser
1Diakoniekrankenhaus Rotenburg, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Elise-Averdieck-Strasse 17, 27356 Rotenburg (Wümme), Germany.
Objective:
To compare the lifetime consumption patterns of patients with schizophrenia and multiple substance abuse and multiple substance abusers without schizophrenia.
Method:
Two hundred and thirty in-patients of a specialized rehabilitation facility for young drug abusers were assessed with regard to their lifetime consumption patterns of 16 different classes of psychoactive drugs. While 110 patients had no diagnosis of a schizophrenic disorder, 120 patients had a comorbidity of multiple substance abuse and schizophrenia.
Results:
Comorbid patients reported a higher lifetime consumption of hallucinogens, whereas multiple substance abusers without schizophrenia showed a higher lifetime consumption rate of cocaine.
Conclusion:
The differences found in lifetime consumption patterns between comorbid patients and substance abusers without psychotic disorder do not support the so-called self-medication hypothesis. Instead, the differences in lifetime consumption of certain drugs might be a result of lower social competence and standing in schizophrenic patients and lower ability to procure certain illicit drugs.