title: Demographic and clinical correlates of substance abuse comorbidity in schizophrenia.
abstract: Seventy patients of schizophrenia were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of substance abusing history in them. Two groups were compared on various socio-demographic and clinical variables. Thirty-eight (54.3%) patients could be diagnosed as having comorbid alcohol/substance abuse/dependence. Seventeen (24.3%) of them were poly-substance abusers. Comorbid substance abusers were predominantly represented by positive syndrome while non-abusers by negative syndrome. In contrast to the report by the most western researchers, most patients in the present study with a diagnosis of substance abusing schizophrenia were married. Similar study from a developing country is rare in the existing literature.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Universal College of Medical Sciences, Bhairahawa, Nepal.
authors.forename: Tapas K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Aich
authors.forename: Vinod K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.forename: Christoday R J
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Khess
authors.forename: Shailja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh