Negative symptoms of schizophrenia and compliance with medication

Poor compliance with medication has been reported in up to 40 percent of outpatients with schizophrenia. This study examines the relationship between compliance with depot neuroleptic medication and severity of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Compliance with depot neuroleptic medication during the preceding year was calculated for 64 patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of schizophrenia. The severity of negative symptoms was assessed using the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Patients who complied poorly with medication had significantly greater severity of negative symptoms of schizophrenia, especially avolition, apathy, and alogia. Duration of illness and duration of prescribed medication were independently associated with compliance, but no other features were associated in the multiple regression model. These findings suggest that negative symptoms are one of the factors of importance in determining whether a patient will attend for depot neuroleptic medication.