Study of Adherence Pattern of Antidepressants in Patients with Depression

Background Depression is one of the leading psychiatric disorders of the world affecting a person's mood, physical health and behavior. It is not permanent and is neither a character flaw nor a lack in discipline for a person to be ashamed of. It is a disorder that is reliably diagnosed and successfully treated. Antidepressants are the standard and the most efficacious approach to treating people with depression. However, adherence to treatment is necessary for achieving effectiveness. The result of nonadherence is severe and may cause therapeutic failure resulting in poor quality of life. Objective To determine the medication adherence pattern in patients with depression and assess the factors associated with non-adherence to the prescribed antidepressant therapy. Method Patients meeting the inclusion criteria who were diagnosed with depression were taken for the study. Informed consent was taken from the patients or from their relatives in case of their incapability. They were then interviewed using structured questionnaire. Result Among the 60 patients included in the study, 78% of them were females. Most of the patients 43% (n=26) were prescribed with atypical antidepressants. Less number (37%) of the patients were adherent to the antidepressant therapy. 68% of the females were non adherent. 82% of housewives were not adherent to therapy. Forgetfulness was the main reason for missing dose in majority (50%) of the nonadherent patients. Conclusion Majority of the patients with depression were non-adherent to medication. Forgetfulness was the major reason for missing dose in these patients.