Suprakash Chaudhury*, Sai Krishna Tikka and Ajay Kumar Bakhla
Background: The co morbidity of substance abuse and schizophrenia is very high and apart from its etiological influence, this affects phenomenology, course and outcome of each other. These can includes onset, course, and association of mood, hostility, anxiety, and severity of symptoms, relapses, and frequent hospitalizations, non- compliance to treatment and poorer psychosocial functioning. Methods: The literature (Medline, Psycinfo, Scopus, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Google scholar, Index Copernicus International and Pro Quest medical databases) on comorbid substance use and schizophrenia was reviewed. Results: This review presents recent understanding of this co morbidity, addressing substance use as risk factor and impact on onset for schizophrenia and its early influence over positive, negative or cognitive symptoms dimensions. Individual class of substance of abuse and various other influential factors such as duration of untreated psychosis, treatment course and mortality are related directly or indirectly. Conclusion: Overall the co-morbidity of substance abuse and schizophrenia causes diagnostic instability, resulting in poor functional outcome; thus needs better awareness and understandings for its prevention, assessment and treatment.
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