title: Differences between patients with schizophrenia with and without co-occurring methamphetamine use disorders in a Taiwanese public psychiatric hospital.
abstract: This study aimed to examine the factors related to and the outcomes of schizophrenic patients with co-occurring methamphetamine use disorders (MUDs). All schizophrenic patients discharged from a psychiatric hospital between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2006, were monitored. This study compared the important demographic and clinical variables between patients with co-occurring MUDs and those without, and postdischarge measured time to rehospitalization during a 1-year period. Seven hundred fifty-six patients were included in this study. Of these patients, 88 (11.6%) reported the use of methamphetamine. Univariate analyses indicated that male sex, low educational level, discharge against medical advice, missed first appointment after discharge, co-occurring other illicit substance use disorder, age (younger), diazepam equivalents prescribed at discharge (higher), number of previous admissions within the past 5 years (higher), and length of hospital stay (longer) were predictive of patients with co-occurring MUDs. There were also significant differences in time to rehospitalization between these two groups during the follow-up periods. Many factors can be identified in schizophrenic patients with co-occurring MUDs. Furthermore, schizophrenic patients with co-occurring MUDs were more likely to be rehospitalized. Future studies in many different mental health systems are needed before these findings can be generalized.
authors.affiliation: *Kaohsiung Municipal Kai-Syuan Psychiatric Hospital; and †Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, School of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yu-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hung-Chi
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Cheng-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D008694:Methamphetamine