Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Apr;115(4):304-9.
doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2006.00900.x.

Patterns, predictors and impact of substance use in early psychosis: a longitudinal study

J Addington  1 , D Addington
Affiliations

Patterns, predictors and impact of substance use in early psychosis: a longitudinal study

J Addington et al. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2007 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose was to determine the prevalence of substance use and its impact on outcome 3 years after presentation for a first-episode of psychosis.

Method: Subjects were 203 consecutive admissions to an early psychosis program. Assessments included substance use, positive, negative and depressive symptoms and social functioning. Assessments occurred at baseline, and 1-, 2- and 3-year follow-ups.

Results: The prevalence of substance misuse was high with 51% having a substance use disorder (SUD), 33% with cannabis SUD and 35% with an alcohol SUD. Numbers with an alcohol SUD declined considerably by 1 year and for cannabis SUD by 2 years. Substance misuse was significantly associated with male gender, young age and age of onset and cannabis misuse with increased positive symptoms.

Conclusion: This study confirms the high rates of substance misuse, in particular cannabis, in first-episode psychosis. It further demonstrates that these rates can be reduced.

PubMed Disclaimer