[Adherence to antipsychotic medication in schizophrenia patients]

Antipsychotic agents are the mainstay of treatment for schizophrenia. However, almost 50% of schizophrenia patients exhibit non-compliance with antipsychotic drug therapy. This in turn may account for high relapse rate, reduced quality of life and increased burden on society. Identification of factors that may mediate adherence to treatment is therefore a primary clinical challenge. This paper reviews the literature regarding medication adherence among schizophrenia patients, with an emphasis on four groups of mediating factors: illness-related, patient-related, treatment-related and environmental-related factors. In addition, we describe a modified health-belief model that may facilitate better understanding of empirical findings. Therapeutic interventions to encourage better treatment compliance are discussed.