title: Adolescent experience of psychotropic treatment.
abstract: Despite growing concern over the treatment of adolescents with psychiatric medications, little research has examined youth understandings and interpretations of mental illness and psychotropic treatment. This article reports the exploratory findings of semi-structured and open-ended interviews carried out with 20 adolescents diagnosed with one or more psychiatric disorders, and who were currently prescribed psychiatric medications. Grounded theory coding procedures were used to identify themes related to adolescent subjective experience with psychiatric medications. The categories identified are interpreted as different points of view through which adolescents understand and take action upon their illness concerns; their need for medication treatment; their perceptions of how medications work; their responses to parental and other influences upon medication treatment; and, their everyday management activities.
authors.affiliation: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-7164, USA. jerry.floersch@case.edu
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Floersch
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Longhofer
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Munson
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Winbush
authors.forename: Derrick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kranke
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Faber
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Janis H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Findling
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012649:Self Concept
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs