[Predisposition to alcohol and drug consumption in schizophrenia-vulnerable people]

A large amount of current schizophrenia research has been centered on the understanding of its etiological mechanisms and the detection of vulnerability markers in people at risk. This vulnerability called schizotypy can be identified in people not affected by the illness at the clinical level.

To check if the schizotypic personality disorder as a vulnerability marker of the disorders in the schizophrenic spectrum predicts the presence of psychopathologic symptoms and alcohol and drugs intake.

From a population of 442 university students tested with the Schizotypy Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), it was selected a sample including people scoring on the 20% superior and inferior for the characteristic factors of schizophrenia corresponding to positive symptoms (cognitive-perceptual), negative symptoms (interpersonal) and thought disorder (disorganized). Furthermore, it was evaluated the presence of psychopathological problems and symptoms. Also, the participants gave information about alcohol and drugs intake as a passive coping strategy with stress.

Compared with the low scored, subjects with high scores in the schizotypic personality disorder showed a significant increase in the presence of psychopathological problems and symptoms and a higher alcohol and drugs intake. That occurs mainly when those scores are found in symptoms associated to thought disorder and negative symptoms as lack of interest in social activities and emotional flattening.

The schizotypic personality disorder, in accordance with its role as vulnerability factor, seems to co-occur with a higher volume of somatic and psychopathologic symptoms, and alcohol and drugs intake.