Background
Subjective response of psychiatric patients to his/her medications is an important factor determining his/her compliance to treatment and hence the course of illness and prognosis.
Objectives
To explore the subjective experience of patients with psychotic and mood disorders with respect to their psychotropic medications and to investigate the probable role of different factors in shaping that experience.
Participants and methods
Eighty patients were selected to participate in this study (40 patients with psychotic disorders and another 40 with mood disorders). They were subjected to full history taking and psychiatric examination after taking their consent. The Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI 30) was then applied to reveal their subjective experiences with psychotropic medications.
Results
Employment and preserved insight were found to be associated with a positive subjective experience with psychotropic medications. A modest duration of current medication, a favorable side-effect profile of the administered drugs, therapeutic alliance with the treating psychiatrist, and associated psychotherapy with pharmacotherapy were all found to play a role in establishing a positive subjective experience with the prescribed drugs.
Conclusion
Certain factors are implicated in the determination of the subjective experiences of psychotic and mood disorder patients with respect to their medications. These factors should be carefully considered to increase patient compliance and improve the results and outcome of psychotropic medications.