Nicotine dependence and symptoms in schizophrenia: naturalistic study of complex interactions.

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Aguilar MC, Gurpegui M, Diaz FJ, de Leon J

Nicotine dependence and symptoms in schizophrenia: naturalistic study of complex interactions.

Br J Psychiatry. 2005 Mar;186:215-21.

PubMed ID
15738502 [ View in PubMed
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Smoking may have a beneficial effect on either schizophrenic symptoms or antipsychotic side-effects, but studies are hampered by the lack of control of confounding factors. AIMS: To explore the self-medication hypothesis in a large sample of stable out-patients with schizophrenia. METHOD: Symptoms, assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and number of hospitalisations were compared in 250 out-patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia classified into three categories: highly dependent smokers, mildly dependent smokers and non-smokers. Log-linear analysis was used to control for potential confounding and interacting variables. RESULTS: High PANSS total scores and positive symptoms were less frequent in mildly dependent smokers than in non-smokers or highly dependent smokers. The highly dependent smokers had the worst outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The data do not generally support the self-medication hypothesis but rather suggest a complex interaction between nicotine dependence and nicotine dependence and schizophrenic symptoms.

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