Substance use in schizophrenic patients admitted in Ibn-e Sina Hospital،Mashhad (1385)

Schizophrenia is a severe psychological disorder that inflicted nearly 1% of the human population. Coincidence of schizophrenia and substance use is common. Co-occurence of schizophrenia and substance use serves as an indicator of bad prognosis. Given the fact that up to the present no research has been done on the substance use among schizophrenic patients in Mashhad city, we decided to study the amount and rate of substance use, as well as the type of consumed substance, among the schizophrenic patients at Ibn-e-Sina Hospital in (1385).Methods and Materials: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study. One hundred schizophrenic patients hospitalized at Ibn-e-Sina hospital in 2006 were assessed for substance use, substance type, and demographic specifications. The data were obtained from patient files and recorded in questionnaires, which were then analyzed with chi- test and SPSS software. Among the 100 patients being studied there was 68 men and 32 women. The average age of the patients was 42 years. 47% of the patients had familial history of psychiatric disorders. In more than half of the patients the disease had begun before 25 years, and the age for beginning of substance use was between 21 and 31 years. 58% of the patients had a previous record of substance use; 46.5% of them used one and 53.5% of them used several substances simultaneously.The most widely used substance was cigarrett (73.98%) and after that opium and cannabis were the most common. There was a significant relationship between sex and substance use, yet there was no such relationship between age, occupation, substance type, duration of illness, and substance use. One-third of female and two-third of male patients had a previous history substance use. The rate of substance use among the patients being studied was about 58%. Given the fact that substance use can,increased symptom severity; increased ratesof hospitalization, infectious illnesses, violence, victimization, homelessness, and nonadherence to medication; and poor overall response to pharmacologic treatment. Co-occurring substance use disorders con tribute substantially to the financial costs and emotional burdens of schizophrenia. For patients, their families and the mental health system. It is necessary to pay more attention to substance use and its treatment in schizophrenic patients.