ED Visit For Substance Use Associated With Risk Of Later Schizophrenia Diagnosis

People ages 14 to 65 without a history of psychosis with an emergency department (ED) visit for substance use had a much higher risk of later being diagnosed with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Among the 407,737 people in Ontario, Canada with an ED visit for substance use from January 2008 through March 2022, 1.4% were diagnosed with schizophrenia in the next three years. This compared to 0.1% of the general population with no ED visit for substance use. The risk of schizophrenia in this population is 9.8 times higher.

The risk of later diagnosis with schizophrenia . . .