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Schizophrenia
Comprehensive Treatment for Schizophrenia and Co-Occurring Addiction
Living with schizophrenia can affect far more than a person’s mental health. The condition can influence relationships, employment, daily responsibilities, communication, and overall independence. While symptoms vary from person to person, many individuals benefit from structured treatment that provides both stability and ongoing support.
Many people with schizophrenia turn to substances to attempt to manage symptoms that seem unmanageable, to dull the distress caused by the psychosis, or to cope with the overwhelming loneliness they experience because of their disorder. But while substances can temporarily numb the pain, the end result is often dependence and addiction that only add to the problem.
At Agape Detox Center, we treat schizophrenia and co-occurring substance use disorders together through a comprehensive dual diagnosis approach designed to address the full picture of a person’s needs. We understand how complicated a dual diagnosis related to schizophrenia and substance use can be. That is why our dual diagnosis program uses specialized techniques delivered by medical staff with the knowledge, skills, and compassion required to treat both diagnoses simultaneously.
If you or someone close to you is struggling with schizophrenia and substance use, there is help available, and it begins here.
What Is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic psychotic disorder characterized by a significant disruption in a person’s thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and behaviors.[1] It affects approximately 1% of the population and typically emerges in late adolescence or early adulthood.[2] Although schizophrenia is a lifelong condition, people can lead productive lives when properly managed with antipsychotics and psychotherapy.
Signs and Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia symptoms are divided into three categories:
Positive symptoms — Symptoms that add to or distort functioning.
Examples include:
- Auditory hallucinations (hearing sounds and voices that no one else hears)
- Delusions — fixed false beliefs that resist all evidence to the contrary
- Disorganized thinking and speaking — loosely connected ideas, responding to unrelated questions
- Grossly disorganized or catatonic behaviors
Negative symptoms — Symptoms that show a decrease in function.
Examples include:
- Flat or blunted emotional expressions
- Alogia — communication difficulty characterized by speaking less and using fewer words
- Avolition — lack of motivation or goal-directed behavior
- Social withdrawal and dysfunction
- Anhedonia — inability to experience enjoyment)
Cognitive symptoms — Symptoms that have an impact on the person’s ability to function day-to-day.
Examples include:
- Difficulty with executive functions and planning
- Impaired working memory
- Poor concentration and attention
- Slow processing speed
Schizophrenia and Addiction: The Co-Occurring Connection
Schizophrenia and substance use disorders co-occur at high rates. Research shows that people with schizophrenia are about 5 times more likely to develop a substance use disorder than the general population.[3] Nicotine, tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and stimulant misuse appear to be the most common.[4]
Researchers believe the high rate of co-occurring schizophrenia and substance use disorders is driven by several interconnected factors, including self-medication, shared neurobiological vulnerabilities, and overlapping genetic risk factors.[5] The positive symptoms of schizophrenia can be extremely disturbing for people experiencing them, and substances provide a temporary reprieve from these discomforts. Negative symptoms such as social withdrawal, anhedonia, and avolition are also frequently self-medicated since substances can provide a temporary feeling of social ease or emotional stimulation.
While research continues to explore if certain substances can induce schizophrenia in people with no pre-existing genetic vulnerability, the current evidence suggests that while substances will not directly cause schizophrenia, heavy cannabis use — especially in adolescence — increases a person’s risk of developing psychosis and may cause earlier onset of schizophrenia in those who are genetically vulnerable.[6] Stimulant use can also produce psychotic symptoms that are clinically indistinguishable from schizophrenia during intoxication, and prolonged stimulant abuse may contribute to lasting changes in dopamine neurotransmitter systems that worsen psychotic vulnerability.[7]
Studies also indicate that substance use substantially worsens schizophrenia outcomes — increasing the occurrence, frequency, and severity of psychotic episodes, decreasing the effectiveness of antipsychotic medications, increasing the likelihood of relapse, and worsening existing social dysfunction and cognitive deficits.[8] Treatment for people suffering from co-occurring schizophrenia and addiction should include an evidence-based integrated dual diagnosis approach.
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When to Get Help
Schizophrenia and substance use is a clinically complicated and specialized dual diagnosis scenario requiring specialized care.
Signs that an integrated treatment strategy may be appropriate include:
- Alcohol or drugs are being used to manage either the positive symptoms or negative symptoms of schizophrenia, or to manage the distress caused by a psychotic event
- Substance use that is interfering with prescribed antipsychotic medication adherence and effectiveness
- Psychosis symptoms worsening when using drugs
- A family member or loved one with schizophrenia whose substance use is escalating
- Previous addiction treatment that did not address co-occurring psychotic disorders
- Questions regarding whether previous drug use triggered the onset of psychotic symptoms
Schizophrenia Treatment at Agape Detox
Agape Detox Center provides co-occurring schizophrenia and addiction treatment through our comprehensive integrated dual diagnosis program. Our team of psychiatrists and therapists have extensive experience in working with the unique challenges of treating co-occurring schizophrenia and addiction — including managing antipsychotic medications, stabilizing psychosis, and delivering evidence-based therapies for people experiencing psychotic disorders.
Below is how we approach treatment:
Comprehensive Psychiatric Assessment: Each client at Agape Detox receives a thorough psychiatric evaluation upon admission. For clients diagnosed with schizophrenia, this assessment will evaluate their present symptoms, history of psychotic episodes, history of antipsychotic medication, and how their substance use affects their psychiatric condition. Stabilizing psychotic symptoms is often the necessary first priority, especially those in active psychosis.
Medication Management: Prescribed antipsychotic medications are the cornerstone of schizophrenia treatment and enable the psychiatric stability required for meaningful therapeutic intervention.[9] Our team of psychiatrists carefully monitors and adjusts prescribed antipsychotic medications, including both first- and second-generation antipsychotics such as risperidone, and assesses potential drug interactions between prescribed medications and substances. Medication adherence support is incorporated into each client’s treatment plan because antipsychotic nonadherence is a major risk factor for relapse in schizophrenia.[10]
Evidence-Based Therapies: Therapeutic interventions for co-occurring schizophrenia and addiction are adapted to account for the cognitive symptoms and psychotic features of the disorder. Treatment may include but is not limited to: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), individual therapy, group therapy, and family sessions.
Amanda Stevens is a highly respected figure in the field of medical content writing, with a specific focus on eating disorders and addiction treatment. Amanda earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from Purdue University, graduating Magna Cum Laude, which serves as a strong educational foundation for her contributions.
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Specialized Care for a Complex Diagnosis
Not all treatment centers are equipped to handle the complexities of people suffering from both schizophrenia and addiction.
At Agape Detox Center, our team has the clinical knowledge and compassion necessary to meet this clinically complex situation and the integrated care that makes lasting stability possible. If you’ve been using substances to manage your schizophrenia or your substance use is leading to psychotic symptoms, then help is available. Reach out today. Our admissions team is available around the clock to help you take the first step.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Schizophrenia and Addiction
Can drug abuse cause schizophrenia?
Heavy marijuana smoking, especially during early teen years, has been shown to increase the risk of developing psychosis and may bring about an earlier age of onset of schizophrenia in people with genetic susceptibility. Drugs like amphetamines or cocaine can create psychotic symptoms that look similar to schizophrenia and potentially enhance an already existing tendency to experience psychosis.
Why do schizophrenia and addiction so often co-occur?
The prevalence rate for substance use disorders among people diagnosed with schizophrenia is four to five times higher than the prevalence rate in the general public. The two main causes include self-medication for the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and other characteristics of the disorder, including lack of social interaction, impulsive behaviors, and dysfunction in the brain’s dopamine systems.
How is schizophrenia treated alongside addiction?
Co-occurring dual diagnosis treatment addresses both issues simultaneously through an integrated model. This includes medical management with antipsychotics, cognitive behavioral therapy specifically designed for people experiencing psychosis, individual and group psychotherapy, and working with the patient’s family. Psychiatrically stabilizing the patient typically occurs before beginning intensive therapy.
Does insurance cover dual diagnosis schizophrenia treatment?
Most large health insurance companies provide coverage for co-occurring schizophrenia and addiction treatment. Our admissions staff will check your benefits discreetly before you begin treatment.
Sources
[1] [2] National Institute of Mental Health. (2024, May). Schizophrenia. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia
[3] Hunt, G. E., Large, M. M., Cleary, M., Lai, H. M. X., & Saunders, J. B. (2023). Substance use disorders in schizophrenia: Prevalence, etiology, biomarkers, and treatment. Personalized Medicine in Psychiatry, 37–38, 100096. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468171723000078
[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Khokhar, J. Y., Dwiel, Z. L., Reed, M. B., Stanton, P. K., Fosray, G. W., & Brunette, M. F. (2018). The link between schizophrenia and substance use disorder: A unifying hypothesis. Schizophrenia Research, 194, 78–85. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6094954/
[9] [10] American Psychiatric Association. (2020). Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. https://www.guidelinecentral.com/guideline/307794