Latent Psychotic Symptom Profiles Amongst People Who Use Methamphetamine: What Do They Tell Us About Existing Diagnostic Categories?

ABSTRACT: The inability to distinguish clearly between methamphetamine-related psychosis and schizophrenia has led to the suggestion that "methamphetamine psychosis" does not represent a distinct diagnostic entity but rather that the drug has triggered a vulnerability to schizophrenia. We tested this possibility by exploring the latent class structure of psychotic symptoms amongst people who use the drug and examining how these latent symptom profiles correspond to a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Latent class analysis was carried out on the lifetime psychotic symptoms of 554 current methamphetamine users, of whom 40 met the DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia. Lifetime diagnoses of schizophrenia and individual psychotic symptoms were assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The c

SUBMITTER: McKetin R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6262399 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature