Self-induced water intoxication and alcohol abuse.

S elf-induced water intoxication is a serious disturbance of water metabolism occurring in 3% to 18% of chronic psychiatric inpatients, the majority of whom are schizophrenic (1, 2). Affected individuals develop polydipsia, which is accompanied by episodes of overhydration and dilutional hyponatremia. If untreated, the symptoms may progress from mild disinhibition and confusion to acute delirium, seizures, coma, or death (3). Although the exact etiology of self-induced water intoxication remains unknown, preexisting alcoholism has been suggested as a contributory factor (2-4), but the evidence to date has been anecdotal. We conducted the present study to determine to what extent a past history of alcohol abuse was associated with the presence or severity of self-induced water intoxication in a sample of chronic schizophrenic inpatients.