Prevalence of Substance Use in Patients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia

Substance abuse among schizophrenic patients is a growing clinical concern. Substance use disorders and their effects on the course of schizophrenia have made the identification and treatment of schizophrenic patients a high priority. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of substance use, preferred types of substances, sociodemographic characteristics and clinical features of schizophrenia, and substance use impact in schizophrenic patients.

Hundred patients who were consecutively admitted to the psychiatry clinic and were diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the DSM-IV criteria were enrolled in this study. Individual interviews were conducted during the patients. In order to evaluate substance abuse disorder (SAD) as per DSM-IV criteria, the substance use disorder section of the structured clinical interview for DSM disorders-II (SCID-II) form was used. In addition, the following were applied to schizophren-ic patients: sociodemographic data form, medical history form, Brief Disability Questionnaire (BDQ), UKU Side Effect Rating Scale (UKUSERS), Insight Rating Scale (IRS), Alcohol Use Dis-orders Identification Test (AUDIT), Fagerstrom Nicotine Dependence Test (FNDT), Global As-sessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), and Calgary Depression Scale (CDS).

Schizophrenia and alcohol and drug use were more common in males, and younger age was found to have no association with substance use. Unemployment, low education levels, rural survival rates, age at disease onset, the doctor first age of the applicant, the first inpatient years, legal issues, harm caused by others and suicidal behavior, SAPS, SANS, CDS received from their scores significant difference was detected. Schizophrenic patients with substance use had higher side effects of drugs, disability, and psychopathology scores than schizophrenic patients without substance use. The functioning of schizophrenic patients with substance use was worse, and the total length of stay was longer. Nicotine, alcohol, biperiden, cannabis, and volatile substances were the preferred materials most commonly used by schizophrenic patients.

In our country, limited research has been conducted on the prevalence of substance use in schizophrenic patients. Therefore, we believe that this study will contribute to the literature on the subject. More sample groups and first-episode patients as well as follow-up studies will contribute to a better understanding of the effect of substance use on the clinical course of schizophrenia.