Diagnostic validation of conjoint schizophrenia and alcoholism

The Renard Diagnostic Interview and the Feighner criteria were used to obtain research diagnoses for VA psychiatric inpatients with hospital diagnoses of both schizophrenia and alcoholism, schizophrenia without alcoholism, and alcoholism without schizophrenia. Hospital diagnoses were confirmed in 69% of patients with schizophrenia and alcoholism and in 65% and 100% of designated schizophrenic and alcoholic patients, respectively. Differences in order of onset, additional psychiatric diagnoses and number and nature of schizophrenic symptoms in the three groups are described. The results of this study support earlier findings that alcoholism is a significant problem in the schizophrenic patient population; implications for treatment and future research are discussed.