[Concordance in the treatment of schizophrenia]

Rates of medication nonadherence among outpatients with schizophrenia have been found to approach 50% during the first year after hospital discharge. Poor adherence with antipsychotic medications increases the risk of relapse. Nonadherent patients have an average risk of relapse that is 3.7 times greater than that of adherent patients. Studies results have demonstrated a rate of rejection to one year of 40% to 50%. These percentages are increased to 75% when the time is more than a year of the beginning treatment. Outpatients with schizophrenia who form strong alliances with their therapists seem to be more likely to comply with prescribed medications than patients who form weaker alliances. The significant progresses in the treatments with drugs can be possible, through improving the profile of adverse effects, search of alternative routes of administration and global improvement of the effectiveness of the medication. The additional support services as those proportionate ones for programs of treatment of the community, the family therapy, community services and the general help with strategies of compliance, they have a clear paper and they improve the results.