title: Experience of Psychotropic Medication -An Interview Study of Persons with Psychosis.
abstract: Psychotropic drugs, particularly antipsychotic types, are a cornerstone of the treatment of people with psychosis. Despite numerous studies showing that drug treatment with psychotropic drugs initially alleviates psychiatric symptoms, the proportion of people with mental health problems and symptoms that do not follow doctors' prescriptions, thus exhibiting so-called non-adherence, is considerable. Non-adherence is predominantly seen as a clinical feature and as a patient characteristic that is especially due to patients' poor understanding that they are ill. There is also a widespread notion that non-adherence is of great disadvantage to the patient. This article is based on interviews with 19 persons diagnosed with psychosis. It challenges the notion of patients being either adherent or non-adherent to the doctor's orders. The findings show that persons with psychosis are active agents when it comes to adjusting medication. The interviewees created their own strategies to gain power over treatment with psychotropic drugs. The most common strategies were to adjust the doses or take breaks of varying lengths from the medication. These deviations from prescriptions were important to conceal, not only from their own psychiatrists, but from all psychiatric staff.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Behavioural Science and Social Work , School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University , Jönköping , Sweden ; Psychiatric Clinical, County Hospital Ryhov , Jönköping , Sweden ; Forensic Psychiatric Regional Clinic , Vadstena , Sweden.
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bülow
authors.affiliation: b Research and Development Unit , FoU Södertörn , Doktorsvägen 2, 147 30 Tumba , Sweden.
authors.forename: Gunnel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: c Research and Development Unit , Psychiatry South Stockholm , 121 05 Johanneshov, Sweden ; Department of Social Work , Stockholm University , 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Denhov
authors.affiliation: d Department of Social Work , Stockholm University , 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden ; Research and Development Unit , Psychiatry South Stockholm , 121 05 Johanneshov, Sweden ; Department of Mental Health , University of Agder , Kristiansand , Norway.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Topor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation; D057240:Patient Preference; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs