Abstract
Treatment of schizophrenia is often complicated by substance abuse. We report here findings of a retrospective study evaluating readmission rates of patients meeting DSM IV criteria comorbid for schizophrenia and alcohol or drug dependence treated with depot haloperidol or fluphenazine over a 2-year period. During the study period, 14 of the 26 (54%) male veteran patients were admitted to the VAMC, Charleston; 46% of patients met criteria for alcohol, marijuana or cocaine dependence. Patients with alcohol dependence appeared to be at highest risk for hospital admission (p<0.05). Moreover, patients with alcohol dependence had longer hospital stays (p<0.05) than patients without alcohol dependence. Marijuana or cocaine dependence was slightly, but not statistically more common among admitted patients. Marijuana or cocaine dependence did not predict length of stay or number of admissions. Alcohol dependence may be an important factor in schizophrenic exacerbation, and may be an important target for treatment.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 71-75 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Schizophrenia Research |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 27 1999 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Alcohol dependence
- Medication compliance
- Schizophrenia
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Biological Psychiatry
