Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the most common co-occurring disorder in people with
schizophrenia. Both biological factors and psychosocial factors are thought to contribute to
this co-occurrence. Schizophrenia patients with AUD are more likely to have social, legal, and
medical problems, compared with other people with schizophrenia. AUD also complicates the
course and treatment of schizophrenia. KEY WORDS: comorbidity; AODD (alcohol and other
drug dependence); schizophrenia; prevalence; disease susceptibility; disease course; selfmedication;
reinforcement; dopamine; neurotransmission; social adjustment; treatment
complications; combined modality therapy; correlation analysis; literature review