What Are the Characteristics of Patients Compliant with Antipsychotic Medication?

• Published in: European psychiatry Vol. 30; p. 924
• Main Author: Vavrusova, L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Masson SAS 28.03.2015
• Subjects: Internal Medicine; Psychiatry
• ISSN: 0924-9338; 1778-3585
• DOI: 10.1016/S0924-9338(15)30722-7

Problems with antipsychotic medication is well known problem. We however looked for patients who, inspite of suffering with psychotic disorder, do all the best to be compliant with the medication. In our settings Within 3 month period we delivered DAI-10 inventory to all 183 psychotic patients who were supposed to be antipsychotics – oral or long-acting injections. 9 patients refused to fill in the forms. We allso looked for other characteristics of patients who were regularly comming for treatment. We used simple statistic methods to define the major characteristis of compliant patients. The protective factors which help patients to comply with antipsychotic medication in our sample were: 1, acceptance of the disorder (72%), 2, acceptance of the need of life long treatment (75%), 3, strong family support (68%), 4, being employed (68%), 5, 2,5 prior relapses of psychosis (56%), 6, having children (55%), 7, having family member with psychiatric disorder (43%). Patients on long-acting injections (64%) were: 1, employed (62%), 2, having children (61%), 3, accepted the disorder (60%), 4, had 3,2 prior relapses of the disorder (56%), had strong familly support (54%). More attention shoud be payed to variables which lead to high compliance with antipsychotic medication to understand and improove our attitude in educational processes with patients and psychiatrist as well.