ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Medication is a necessary part of treatment for severe psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and nonadherence to prescribed medication is one of the most important public health issues in psychiatry today. The devastating consequences of nonadherence have motivated the development of novel therapeutic strategies, including a new long-term implantable medication delivery system. METHODS: The current study assesses attitudes towards implantable medication in psychiatric patients and their family members. Patients included in the study had diagnoses of Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Mood or Anxiety related disorders. RESULTS: 49.62% of patients and 74.47% of family members endorse support for implantable medication. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that implants may be an acceptable alternative to oral and injectable medication for a subset of psychiatric patients and their families.
Subject(s)
Attitude to Health , Drug Implants/therapeutic use , Family/psychology , Mental Disorders/drug therapy , Mental Disorders/psychology , Psychotropic Drugs/therapeutic use , Adult , Clozapine/administration & dosage , Clozapine/therapeutic use , Cross-Cultural Comparison , Data Collection/statistics & numerical data , Drug Implants/administration & dosage , Female , Haloperidol/administration & dosage , Haloperidol/therapeutic use , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mood Disorders/drug therapy , Mood Disorders/psychology , Patient Compliance , Psychotic Disorders/drug therapy , Psychotic Disorders/psychology , Psychotropic Drugs/administration & dosage , Schizophrenia/diagnosis , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Schizophrenic Psychology , Treatment Outcome , United StatesABSTRACT
The introduction of surgically implantable medication delivery systems provides psychiatric patients with reversible, uninterrupted access to medication for up to 14 months. This study designed and administered a survey to assess patients' attitudes and beliefs towards illness, medication, and this potential new treatment method. The survey included questions about demographics, insight and attitudes towards illness, current and past medication adherence, attitudes towards psychiatric and nonpsychiatric medications, and understanding and attitudes towards surgical implants. The sample of 206 psychiatric patients was almost equally split between favorably and unfavorably considering implants. Patients favorable towards implants ascribed forgetting and failure to refill medication on time as the reasons for missing doses, recognized the benefits of medication in general, and understood that the implant would be inserted under the skin. Favorable consideration of implants was positively correlated with the desire to avoid adverse consequences of missing medicine, stay well, avoid the need for daily oral medications, and decrease family burden. Unfavorable consideration of implants was related to a preference to take medication orally, concern about feeling controlled, unwillingness to try something new, and not understanding that the implant would be placed under the skin. Demographic variables, past/current medications, specific diagnosis, and illness severity did not influence the decision. This survey elucidates patients' attitudes and beliefs towards illness, medication, and surgical implants. The results indicate that a significant proportion of patients recognize the difficulties of medication adherence and the need for better methods to attain therapeutic response. Thus, the study provides impetus for future work in this area.
