Adherence to Pharmacological Treatment Among Patients with Schizophrenia

ABSTRACT   Adherence to medication is the range to which an individual corresponds with the prescribed medication dosing regimen. Medication non-adherence among patients with schizophrenia is extremely common issue, broadly ranging from 4% to 72%. Medication non-adherence among schizophrenic patients has serious consequences for individuals as well as the health system such as relapse of symptoms, re-hospitalization, aggression, suicide, cognitive deterioration, loss of job and arrest, victimization, and overall unfavorable outcome. Factors determining adherence are divided into medication-related as side effects, patient-related as lack of insight, illness-related as persecutory delusions, sociocultural-related such as stigma, and clinician-related factors like poor therapeutic alliance. Improving adherence is best achieved by exploring the reasons for non-adherence with appropriate management plans to deal with them. Adherence can be improved by providing basic strategies that must routinely accompany every prescription, and specific interventions like psycho-social ones, antipsychotic long acting injections, reminders, service interven­tions, and may be even financial incentives.