Self-Medication is a critical and often overlooked aspect of chronic health problems and poses a significant barrier to recovery...
The paper analysed smoking, drinking and drug use in nearly 20,000 people. That included 9,142 psychiatric patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or schizo-affective disorder - an illness characterised by psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, and mood disorders such as depression, said the paper published in the journal Psychiatry.
The investigators also assessed nicotine use, heavy drinking, heavy marijuana use and recreational drug use in more than 10,000 healthy people without mental illness.
The researchers found that 30 percent of those with severe psychiatric illness engaged in binge drinking, defined as drinking four servings of alcohol at one time. In comparison, the rate of binge drinking in the general population is 8 percent, added the paper.
Among those with mental illness, more than 75 per cent were regular smokers. This compares with 33 per cent of those in the control group who smoked regularly. There were similar findings with heavy marijuana use: 50 per cent of people with psychotic disorders used marijuana regularly, versus 18 per cent in the general population. Half of those with mental illness also used other illicit drugs, while the rate of recreational drug use in the general population is 12 per cent.