Medication Adherence, Attitude Towards Medication, and Quality of Life in Outpatients With Neurotic Disorders in Tehran, Iran: A Six-Month Follow-up Study

Objectives This study aims to investigate the attitude towards medication, medication adherence, and quality of life (QoL) in outpatients with neurotic disorders referred for the first time to the psychiatric clinic of Tehran Psychiatric Institute in Iran. Methods In this study, participants were adult outpatients with neurotic disorders referred to the psychiatric clinic of Tehran Psychiatric Institute for the first time, who had met the inclusion criteria (age 18-60 years, having a neurotic disorder diagnosed by the psychiatrist, and consent to participate in the study). At baseline and in one and six months after the first visit, they completed a demographic form, the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) and the drug attitude inventory (DAI-10). Their medication adherence was assessed using the medication possession ratio. Results Of 100 participants, 76 were females and had a mean age of 35.9 years. Favorable medication adherence significantly increased in the sixth month compared to the first month, and the number of patients with favorable medication adherence increased from 38 to 63. In comparing the overall score of QoL, a significant improvement was observed in the 1st and 6th months compared to baseline and in the sixth month compared to the first month (P<0.001). Regarding the domains of the QoL, mental health and general health in the first and sixth months were significantly increased compared to the baseline (P<0.001). Physical health domain was significantly increased in the sixth month compared to the first month (P<0.001). Social relationships domain was significantly increased in the first month compared to the baseline (P= 0.001). Environmental health domain was significantly increased in the first month compared to the baseline (P=0.019). Comparison of the QoL score between patients with favorable and unfavorable medication adherence showed no significant difference (P=0.6). Attitude towards medication was significantly improved from baseline to the sixth month (P<0.001). Conclusion The QoL and its some domains as well as medication adherence and attitude towards medication in outpatients with neurotic disorders seem to be improved after six months of follow-up. There is no significant difference in QoL between outpatients with favorable and unfavorable medication adherence.