CPA - SUBSTANCE ABUSE AN INCREASING CONCERN WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

HALIFAX -- There is a high prevalence of substance abuse in first-admitted
schizophrenic patients, according to a service-based study headed by Dr.
Javad Moamai.

The number of schizophrenic patients abusing alcohol and drugs has been
increasing every year over the past 22 years, and physicians should be
forthcoming about asking patients with schizophrenia whether they have been
using drugs or alcohol, said Dr. Moamai in poster session here at the
annual meeting of the Canadian Psychiatric Association.

"We can't just treat schizophrenia and overlook substance abuse. We miss a
large part of their treatment," said Dr. Moamai, a staff psychiatrist at
the schizophrenia clinic at Pierre Janet Hospital in Gatineau, Que., and an
assistant professor of psychiatry at the Universities of Montreal and Ottawa.

Dr. Moamai examined a representative sample of 884 patients with
schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorders who had psychiatric
hospitalization in the Outaouais (Western Quebec) in the years from 1980 to
2002. The patients, ages 14 years and older, were admitted for the first time.

"There was an annual increase in the prevalence of substance abuse of 1.5%,
from 3.1% in 1980/81 to 35.7% in 2001/02," said Dr. Moamai. Substance abuse
over the 22-year period was found to be more common in older patients (mean
age 36.4 years) than non-substance abusers (mean age 32.8). It was also
found to be higher in men (26.1%) than women (14.6%).

The annual increased rate, however, was not related to gender, age or
co-morbid personality disorder. "The increased rate may reflect the general
population increase and its acceptability in society."