Substance Abuse Paper - 1198 Words

Substance abuse is one of the most common comorbid conditions among individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia (Schwartz et al., 2007). Previous studies have shown that nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis were the most frequently used substances in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, followed by cocaine and amphetamine. Individuals with substance use disorders have negative long-term outcomes and poorer overall quality of life. Researchers suggest that substance abuse complicates individuals with mental issues and also makes treatments less effective (Schwartz et al., 2007). Researchers also suggest that other predictors such as gender, age and other psychosocial predictors may affect substance abuse in patients with schizophrenia. This†¦show more content†¦Although researchers suggested that the integrated program with a routine care had a positive impact on patients with comorbid schizophrenia and substance use disorders, there were other factors that would have caused pat ients to increase their drug and/or alcohol use. The stress from the patients’ families or stress from the patients not having contact with their family could have caused an increase in drug and alcohol use during the integrated programs and routine care. Researchers Schwartz, Hilscher and Hayhow (2007) wanted to determine if other psychosocial impairments were associated with current drug abuse in patients with schizophrenia. They based their study on previous research that suggested that the substance use was caused by depression, side effects of medication and the effects of the psychotic symptoms in patients and also being a male. Schwartz et al. (2007) tested 223, majority Caucasian and minority African American patients, 18 years or older from a mental health agency. The clients were given psychiatric evaluations (medical, family and social history) and interviews using the Global Assessment of Functioning and Functional Assessment Rating scales to examine the severity of the substance abuse on clients with schizophrenia. These finding suggested that males were highly most likely to engage in substance abuse compared to females. Other predictor factors such as work/schoolShow MoreRelatedVulnerable Populations Paper: Substance Abuse1842 Words   |  8 PagesVulnerable Populations Paper: Substance Abuse Substance abuse disorders is easily defined when an â€Å"individual continues to use the substance despite experiencing negative consequences from their use. These negative consequences can include health problems; difficulties in their family, work, and social life; and financial and legal problems. 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