The unmotivated patient syndrome: survey of therapeutic interventions

The authors describe five groups of patients who have been found to respond poorly to psychiatric treatment--people from lower socioeconomic groups, juvenile delinquents, drug-addicted individuals, alcoholics and military psychiatric patients. Although these groups of patients represent different etiologies and symptom-specific pathologies, many of their members have in common a lack of motivation for change. The authors discuss the reasons for this lack of motivation, suggesting that focusing on this factor would promote a better understanding of the unmotivated patient syndrome and lead to the development of more effective psychotherapeutic efforts.