Smoking and substance abuse in outpatients with schizophrenia: a 2-year follow-up study in Turkey

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of smoking and substance abuse in outpatients with schizophrenia, and to determine the relationship between smoking status and sociodemographic/clinical characteristics of schizophrenia.

One hundred and thirty-six schizophrenic outpatients were assessed by the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV (SCID) and brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS). Demographic and treatment variables were obtained from case records and interviews with patients and their family members.

The frequency of smoking among schizophrenic patients was 50%. However, the rate of substance abuse was 5.2%. We found no statistically significant differences between the smoker and the non-smoker patients on the demographic variables of age, sex, marital status, and employment status. There was no significant difference between the groups on BPRS scores. However, smokers were receiving a higher daily dose of neuroleptic than non-smokers.

The prevalence of smoking among schizophrenic patients was similar to the rates found in Western cultures. However, the prevalence of substance abuse was lower in Turkish patients as compared with patients in the Western population.