Treatment compliance in relapse schizophrenia

Abstract

Non-compliance with treatment is a major problem, especially in psychiatric patients receiving a long-term medication. The aim of this study was to find causes of poor treatment compliance of Schizophrenic patients and how to overcome the problem. Compliance with drug regimen and follow up visits of 116 known cases of scizophrenia was assessed. About 27% of the patients met the criteria of good compliance. Defaulting follow up and taking inadequate dose of medication were common problem among poor compliance group. Although the compliance was not related to any of socio-demographic variable, it was found to be significantly related to the patients' view of usefulness of the medication, treatment duration of less than 5 years, dosage schedule of once or twice per day and the supervision of medication by the relatives. The importance of family support to ensure good compliance in schizophrenic patients was highlighted.