Psychiatric comorbidities and schizophrenia

Peter F. Buckley, Brian J. Miller, Douglas S. Lehrer, David J. Castle

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

792 Scopus citations

Abstract

Psychiatric comorbidities are common among patients with schizophrenia. Substance abuse comorbidity predominates. Anxiety and depressive symptoms are also very common throughout the course of illness, with an estimated prevalence of 15% for panic disorder, 29% for posttraumatic stress disorder, and 23% for obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is estimated that comorbid depression occurs in 50% of patients, and perhaps (conservatively) 47% of patients also have a lifetime diagnosis of comorbid substance abuse. This article chronicles these associations, examining whether these comorbidities are "more than chance" and might represent (distinct) phenotypes of schizophrenia. Among the anxiety disorders, the evidence at present is most abundant for an association with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Additional studies in newly diagnosed antipsychotic-naive patients and their first-degree relatives and searches for genetic and environmental risk factors are needed to replicate preliminary findings and further investigate these associations.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)383-402
Number of pages20
JournalSchizophrenia Bulletin
Volume35
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2009

Keywords

  • Comorbidity
  • Schizophrenia
  • Substance abuse

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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