title: Distress with medication side effects among persons with severe mental illness.
abstract: We examined prevalence and perceived distress resulting from self-reported side effects (SEs) attributed to psychotropic medications among individuals with severe mental illness participating in a study of consumer-operated services. We examined gender and racial differences using logistic regression, conducted factor analyses of SEs, and examined correlations between distress and self-reported symptoms. Over 90% reported at least one SE, and nearly two-thirds reported a high level of distress with at least one SE. The most distressing SEs reported were embarrassment from weight gain, weight gain, dry mouth, and sedation. The likelihood of distress by particular SEs varied by gender and race.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Services Research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. nancy.covell@po.state.ct.us
authors.forename: Nancy H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Covell
authors.forename: Ellen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Weissman
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schell
authors.forename: Brian H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: McCorkle
authors.forename: W Thomas
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Summerfelt
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Weiden
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Essock
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs