ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study compared attitudes toward antipsychotic treatment according to awareness of the name of their illness in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Information on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including awareness of the importance of antipsychotic treatment, was obtained through a self-report questionnaire. The Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI) was administered. The data were compared according to awareness of the name of their illness. RESULTS: The study analyzed data for 199 patients with schizophrenia. Of these, 115 patients (57.8%) were aware that their illness was called schizophrenia, while 84 patients (42.2%) knew it by their psychotic symptoms or as another mental illness, such as depression. The patients aware of the name of their illness had significantly longer durations of illness and higher scores on the DAI. They were significantly more likely to have stopped taking medication on their own accord and to agree with the importance of antipsychotic treatment. Statistical significance was sustained in a logistic regression analysis after adjusting for the duration of illness and study site, except for the DAI score, which had borderline significance (p=0.055). In subjects with duration of illness > or =5 years, patients aware of the name of their illness had significantly higher scores on the DAI. CONCLUSION: Awareness of the name of their illness was associated with awareness of the importance of, and a positive attitude toward, antipsychotic treatments in patients. Psycho-education, including telling the patient the correct name of his or her illness, might be needed for maintaining antipsychotic treatment in patients with chronic schizophrenia.