Medication Adherence Using Medication Event Monitoring System Among Young Adults with Major Depressive Disorder

To investigate factors associated with medication adherence among young patients experiencing their first episode of major depressive disorder (MDD). A total of 512 patients were prospectively enrolled and tracked by adherence for 30 days using the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS). Socio-demographic factors, clinical variables, and patient-reported rating scores were analyzed using a binary logistic regression model. About 69.3% of cases achieved MEMS adherence. Patients with ≥1 hospital readmission for exacerbation, drug concentration beyond the recommended therapeutic range, and severe side effects had an increased risk of low adherence. Older age, higher self-stigma scores, and negative drug attitude were the positive predictors. A prognostic index > 0.800 was at high-risk of developing low adherence. A formula was established for evaluating clinical risk to improve medication adherence among young MDDs.