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Published on: August 18, 2020
Illicit drug use in patients with psychotic disorders compared with that in the general population: a cross-sectional
P A Ringen1, I Melle, A B Birkenaes
1Institute of Psychiatry, University of Oslo, N-0317 Oslo, Norway, and Division of Psychiatry, Ulleval University Hospital, N-0407 Oslo, Norway. p.a.ringen@medisin.uio.no
Objective:
Prevalence estimates of illicit drug use in psychotic disorders vary between studies, and only a few studies compared prevalence estimates with those in the general population.
Method:
Cross-sectional study comparing 148 stable-phase patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder with 329 representative general citizens of Oslo. A total of 849 patients from the same hospital department in the same time period constituted a patient reference group.
Results:
Lifetime illicit drug use was 44% higher (P < 0.001) in study patients than in the general population sample; while lifetime use of amphetamine/cocaine was 160% higher (P < 0.001). No differences were found between user groups for sociodemographic characteristics.
Conclusion:
Patients with psychotic disorders in stable phase had a markedly higher lifetime use of any illicit substance, especially amphetamine/cocaine, than the general population. They also seemed to use drugs more periodically. The same sociodemographic characteristics were associated with increased illicit drug use in both groups.
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