Negative symptoms are associated with less alcohol use, craving, and "high" in alcohol dependent patients with schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) frequently co-occur with and exacerbate schizophrenia, yet the specific relationships between schizophrenia symptoms and alcohol use remain unclear.


METHODS
PANSS scores were correlated with measures of alcohol and other substance use in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and AUDs entering a trial of monitored naltrexone treatment. Data were analyzed from the first 80 participants; 55% had schizophrenia and 45% had schizoaffective disorder. All had AUDs; 95% had alcohol dependence and 5% alcohol abuse; 34% also had cannabis abuse/dependence and 31% cocaine abuse/dependence.


RESULTS
PANSS Negative scores were inversely correlated with Addiction Severity Index alcohol composite scores, alcohol craving, quality of alcohol "high" (euphoria), and with frequency of cannabis use. An exploratory analysis indicated that the negative symptoms that may most strongly correlate with less alcohol use, craving and/or euphoria were passive/apathetic social withdrawal, blunted affect, difficulty in abstract thinking, and stereotyped thinking. Higher PANSS Composite scores, indicating the predominance of positive over negative PANSS symptoms, correlated with more alcohol craving and cannabis use. Higher PANSS General scores were associated with more alcohol craving.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings extend previous reports of the association of negative schizophrenia symptoms with less alcohol and substance use to patients with AUDs and indicate that this relationship also includes less alcohol craving and less alcohol euphoria. The findings may also provide some initial evidence that specific negative symptoms may be keys to these relationships.
Batki
Steven L
SL
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121, United States. steven.batki@ucsf.edu
Leontieva
Luba
L
Dimmock
Jacqueline A
JA
Ploutz-Snyder
Robert
R
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005059:Euphoria; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D009271:Naltrexone