[Attitude of ambulatory psychiatric patients to psychopharmacologic treatment]

By means of a semistructured interview 51 nonpsychotic new outpatients of the Psychiatric University Outpatient Clinic, Basle, Switzerland, were asked about their expectation of being treated with a psychotropic medication during the ensuing therapy. Their conceptualizations about the modes of action of psychopharmacological drugs were also studied. In addition, their emotionally connoted attitudes towards these modes of action were elucidated. 2/3 of those patients who have been treated with a psychopharmacological medication by their family doctor expected that also their psychiatrist at the outpatient clinic prescribed a psychotropic medication, whereas only 1/6 of those patients without a corresponding experience stated to expect a psychopharmacological treatment. Patients who have previously been treated psychopharmacologically stated significantly more often that psychotropic drugs had an effect on emotional processes and compared them significantly less often to alcohol or addictive drugs of the drug subculture than patients without the experience of previous psychotropic medication. Patients expecting to receive psychotropic drug gave significantly more often positive emotional connotations about the presumed modes of action of these drugs than patients without such an expectation. It can be concluded that previous experiences with psychotropic medication evokes the expectancy of also receiving a psychopharmacological treatment during an ensuing therapy at the Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic. Furthermore the experience of a psychopharmacological treatment induces mainly emotionally positive connotated conceptualizations about the modes of action of psychotropic medication.