Focus group data identified social, cognitive, and affective influences on treatment decision making. Results support prior research comparing family/social functioning, physician characteristics, and adherence. Findings suggest that parent attitudes to psychiatric care need to be assessed comprehensively at initial evaluation to aid the development of psychoeducational messages, and a more careful consideration about how parents interpret and respond to adherence-related questioning.

No abstract

No abstract

Findings suggest a complex relation between treatment adherence and medication discrepancies in which patient well-being and regimen complexity work in tandem to create discordance between patient and provider medication plans. Simplifying regimens when possible and attending to patient life satisfaction may improve adherence to a regimen constructed jointly between patient and provider.

No abstract

Despite relatively high rates of reported nonadherence in adults with bipolar disorder, no research has documented patterns of adherence in adolescents receiving treatment for this illness. This investigation sought to describe adherence in adolescents diagnosed with bipolar disorder and examine the relations between adherence, age, and chronicity of illness. Participants were 12-19 years of age and were receiving outpatient treatment for bipolar I, bipolar II, or bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (NOS). Parents were asked to estimate adherence to all prescribed treatments. Participants in this study were 38 adolescents (18 male, 20 female; mean age, 15.80 years, SD, 1.85). Parents reported an average of only 2.29 (SD, 2.90) missed medication dosages in the 1-month period prior to assessment. Full treatment adherence to a medication regimen, however, is reported in only 13 of 37 patients (34.2%) taking medication. Age is not associated with medication adherence. Participants with optimal adherence (no missed medication doses) are more recently diagnosed (M, 1.06 years; SD, 0.87) than patients who miss one or more medication doses (M, 3.12 years; SD, 3.36; t35=2.24; p=0.032). Rates of adherence in this sample of adolescents with bipolar disorder were somewhat higher than reports in adults and broadly consistent with findings in children with other psychiatric symptoms. Nonetheless, findings suggest vigilant monitoring of medication administration prior to assessing regimen effectiveness.

No abstract

No abstract