Alcohol and substance abuse among schizophrenic patients presenting to an emergency psychiatric service

To obtain information regarding patterns of alcohol and substance use, portions of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) were administered to 53 schizophrenic patients who presented to the crisis service of an emergency room in a major general hospital. The number of individuals in the sample qualifying for a lifetime diagnosis of an alcohol abuse-related disorder was quite high (47%), and there was a strong correlation between disorders of alcohol abuse and the use of other drugs. Other than alcohol, marijuana was the most frequently abused drug. Individuals who qualified for a diagnosis of an alcohol-related disorder were compared with those who did not on a variety of diagnostic and demographic variables. The authors conclude by suggesting that the high-risk rates of drug use-related disorders reported in this sample may be due to the preferential use of emergency services by schizophrenic patients with alcohol and drug abuse-related disorders.