Schizophrenia is a major psychiatric disorder that affects approximately 1% of the general population (
1). The burden to individuals, their families, and society is enormous. Roughly half of people with schizophrenia have a co-occurring disorder (
2). In this paper we review the problem of substance use disorders and schizophrenia. This review is focused on alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine, as there is some indication that these are among the most frequently-used substances among this population (
3,
4). Additionally, a recent meta-analysis of substance abuse among people with schizophrenia determined that the majority of research on individual substances of abuse had been conducted on alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine (
5). These three substances have unique mechanisms of action, behavioral effects, and legal status, and there are undoubtedly substance-specific issues related to each of these three drugs. However, from a clinical perspective there are more similarities than differences; and the existing literature rarely differentiates these drugs adequately. Furthermore, patients with schizophrenia often use substances in combination. Hence, this review will mainly address common aspects of alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine; substance-specific issues will be addressed secondarily. Finally, nicotine and schizophrenia is a topic in itself and so is not discussed here.
What are the rates of substance abuse in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia?
There is a high rate of substance abuse comorbidity among patients with schizophrenia. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2004-2005 report, the prevalence of alcohol and drug use disorders was about 23% in patients with serious mental illness in contrast to 8% in adults without serious mental illness (
8) (
Table 1). In both the Epidemiologic Catchment Area study (2) and National Comorbidity Survey (
6), patients with schizophrenia had the highest lifetime rates of alcohol abuse (Lifetime prevalence =9.7%, OR=1.9) and drug abuse (Lifetime prevalence =14.6%, OR=6.9) compared with other mental illness. Rates of substance use disorders (SUDs) in patients with schizophrenia in published studies vary from 7% (
9) to 59.8% (
10). Despite differing methodologies, the overwhelming majority of studies have indicated that SUDs are more prevalent in schizophrenia than in the general population. The pattern of use, abuse, and dependence of different substances in schizophrenia as compared with mood disorders and the general population is detailed in
Table 2.
Interestingly, there may be a temporal trend in the rates and pattern of substance-abuse among patients with schizophrenia. Studies suggest that the most commonly abused substances in the 1970-80s were (in decreasing order of rates of abuse) tobacco, amphetamines and cocaine, hallucinogens and cannabis, and alcohol (reviewed in (
17)). While the rates of lifetime abuse/dependence of alcohol and stimulants increased twofold from the 1970s to the 1990s, the rates of hallucinogen abuse/dependence decreased by half, and the rates of cannabis abuse/dependence did not change. The pattern of lifetime substance dependence among patients with schizophrenia in the 1990s was (in decreasing order of rates of abuse) alcohol (46.9%), cannabis (28.3%), amphetamines (9.3%), benzodiazepines (6.2%), opioids (prescription and nonprescription) (4.7%), hallucinogens (4.1%), solvents and anticholinergics (3.6%), and cocaine (1.5%) (
18). While an analysis of the NIMH CATIE trial showed that patients with schizophrenia and comorbid substance-use disorder used (in decreasing order of rates of abuse) alcohol (87%), cannabis (44%), and cocaine (36%) (
19), another study showed that the most commonly abused substances were (in decreasing order of rates of abuse) alcohol (57%), cannabis (48%), hallucinogens (20%), cocaine (14%), stimulants (27%), sedatives (13%), and opioids (9%). Opioid abuse occurs at relatively low rates in schizophrenia patients probably because the level of social functioning necessary to carry out life as an opioid addict is often higher than that which a patient with schizophrenia is typically able to maintain. There was also an increased rate of polydrug use (16%) in this population (
20). Of course, in the absence of any longitudinal study that has tracked SUDs in people with schizophrenia the proposed temporal trends can only be inferred from cross-sectional studies, which may not account for methodological and/or geographic variability.
What are the consequences of substance abuse/dependence on the expression and course of schizophrenia?
Comorbid substance use negatively impacts the course and expression of schizophrenia. For example, comorbid substance use in schizophrenia has been associated with higher scores on positive symptoms, negative symptoms and general psychopathology (
21,
22); service utilization (
23); higher rates of noncompliance with medication (
22); and higher depressive symptoms (
22).
A 15-year longitudinal study found that patients with dual diagnosis of schizophrenia and substance-use disorders, including alcohol-use disorders, had higher rates of hospitalization, poor insight, homelessness, violent offending, and increased risk of death (
24). Overall, alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are associated with poor adjustment and poor outcome in almost every domain of functioning (
22,
25–
27). Patients with comorbid alcohol use disorder are also more cognitively impaired than those with a single diagnosis of either schizophrenia or AUDs on measures of attention, global cognitive functioning, verbal memory, and reasoning/problem solving (
21,
28).
Of note, even though comorbid alcohol and substance use disorders have negative consequences for patients with schizophrenia, motivation for reduction of substance use in this population is usually low (
29,
30). Finally, patients with schizophrenia with active psychotic symptoms may be more likely to abuse alcohol than those without psychotic symptoms (
31); this is problematic in that patients who are psychotic might be more vulnerable to the negative effects of substance use in general.
In patients recently diagnosed or at high risk for schizophrenia, cannabis use resulted in increased anxiety, depression, and suspicion soon after cannabis use, but lowered depression in some high risk subjects (
32). In recently diagnosed schizophrenia patients, cannabis resulted in increased hallucinations and confusion. Both patient groups reported long-term cannabis use resulted in greater rates of depression, less control over thoughts, and more social problems. Contrary to the effect of cannabis on the positive and negative symptoms of psychosis, comorbid cannabis use disorder is associated with improved cognitive performance on tests of visual memory, working memory, and executive functioning both in chronic schizophrenia (
33,
34) and first-episode schizophrenia (
35). Although counter-intuitive, it is likely that patients with cannabis-use disorders have better premorbid cognitive functioning because of the cognitive demands involved in procuring an “illegal” substance, abusing it, and being able to evade the legal system. This may explain the better performance despite a deterioration in cognitive functioning that occurs as a result of the pathological processes of schizophrenia. Also, about 37% of recent-onset patients with schizophrenia reported that their very first psychotic symptoms occurred during cannabis intoxication.
It is interesting to note that in some recent studies, patients with schizophrenia also differ from the general population in terms of the type of cannabis that is abused (
36). People with schizophrenia were more likely to use cannabis with high delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and low cannabidiol (CBD) content, (sinsemilla which contains 15% THC and less than 1.5% CBD being a case in point) while healthy controls were more likely to use cannabis with a more balanced concentration of cannabinoids (e.g. hash which contains 3.4% each of THC and CBD).
Studies comparing clinical symptoms in schizophrenia patients with and without a history of cocaine use have produced mixed results including lower negative symptoms, more paranoid symptoms, more hostility, more depression, higher levels of both recent positive and negative symptoms, or no differences in positive or negative symptoms in cocaine using patients (
37–
41). A history of cocaine abuse has been associated with more frequent hospitalizations compared with people with schizophrenia who use other substances (
40). The CATIE study found that schizophrenia patients who used cocaine had lower psychosocial functioning, especially in relation to work, school, or homemaking compared with those who used other substances and to those without a SUD (
11).
The effects of cocaine use on cognitive test performance in schizophrenia patients are unclear. Some studies report that, cocaine using schizophrenia patients have greater impairments on selected cognitive tests, less impairments or no differences (
41–
46). Cocaine-dependent schizophrenia patients who were abstinent for at least 72 hours outperformed nondependent schizophrenics on tasks involving motor speed and executive functions (
47). Furthermore, after about 2 weeks of abstinence from cocaine, there appear to be no differences in cognitive test performance between schizophrenia patients with and without cocaine use (
46).
Remission rates were lower for cocaine compared with alcohol and other substances (
40) suggesting that schizophrenia patients may have greater difficulty quitting cocaine use. Consistent with this, in a longitudinal study of schizophrenia outpatients, while the use of alcohol, cannabis, and other substances remained stable, cocaine use increased over time (
48).
How successful are schizophrenia patients at achieving and maintaining abstinence?
There is a paucity of data on the success rate of patients with schizophrenia and comorbid SUDs at achieving and/or maintaining abstinence. Furthermore little is known as to how this rate compares with patients with SUDs who do not have schizophrenia. A study using data from the NIMH-ECA study showed that remission rates of SUDs in schizophrenia patients were 31% for alcohol and 50% for other drugs (
49). In contrast, 61% of schizophrenia patients with comorbid AUDs who received assertive community treatment achieved and maintained remission (
50). Finally, in a cohort of schizophrenia patients who were engaged in a work rehabilitation program, 71% of alcohol users, 53% of cocaine users, and 79% of all other substance users remained abstinent after 12 months (
40).
There are very few studies comparing abstinence outcomes of psychotic and nonpsychotic patients. A multisite study of outpatient veterans found no significant differences in abstinence rates between patients with SUDs with and without comorbid psychotic disorders (
51). Another smaller study of patients who attended a 4-month integrated dual-diagnosis inpatient program found that that personality disorder patients showed a greater reduction in their alcohol but not other substance use compared to psychotic disorder patients after a 1 year follow-up (
52). However, a longer (5-year follow-up) study showed that a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder predicted longer times to achieve remission (defined as at least 6 months of abstinence prior to the assessment) compared with nonpsychotic affective disorders (
53).