From noncompliance to collaboration in the treatment of schizophrenia

Although effective treatment for schizophrenia is available, patients' compliance with treatment prescriptions is notoriously poor. The authors reframe compliance as a collaborative relationship in which both the patient and practitioner assume responsibility for producing a treatment regimen to which the patient can adhere. Barriers that prevent a partnership in treatment may be related primarily to treatment techniques, to characteristics of the patient and his family, to the patient-clinician relationship, or to the treatment delivery system. A comprehensive approach to addressing these sources of noncompliance includes specific skills that can be acquired by the patient, family members, and the practitioner.