Substance use in severe mental illness: self-medication and vulnerability factors.

The aim of this article is to examine the onset and clinical correlates of substance use in patients with psychotic disorders. One hundred and eight inpatients and outpatients with DSM-IV psychotic disorders were evaluated with the SCI-SUBS, an instrument designed to explore the spectrum of substance use and its clinical correlates. Comparisons were made between subjects with (n=47) and without (n=61) a DSM-IV diagnosis of substance use disorder (SUD).