Sex differences in drug-induced psychosis

- Males and females differ in drug use and vulnerability to develop drug dependence.
- Drug use and abuse is a common trait in schizophrenia patients.
- Sex differences have been widely described in both drug addiction and schizophrenia.
- We review sex differences in drug-induced psychosis reported in humans and animals.

Men and women affected by schizophrenia display different age of onset, symptom profile and course of the disease. Similarly, men and women differ in the prevalence and frequency of drug use, pattern and reasons of use, and vulnerability to develop drug addiction. An understanding of the role of sex in modulating brain processes and behavior in patients with substance use disorder and/or schizophrenia-like symptoms has broad implications for gender-tailored treatment approaches. Cognizant of the considerable recent evidence for sex and gender differences in drug addiction and schizophrenia, we focused this review on the sex-dependent differences in drug-induced psychosis and on factors that may contribute to such male-female differences.