Collaboration with drug treatment by schizophrenic patients with and without psychoeducational training: results of a 1‐year follow‐up

Abstract

Within a controlled prospective intervention study, schizophrenic outpatients randomly assigned to four treatment groups and one control group were assessed with regard to collaboration with drug treatment. In total, 39.3% of 84 regular attenders of the psychoeducational training programme and 26.6% of 64 control patients reported having persuaded their psychiatrists to modify their medication prescriptions. A total of 8.3% and 7.8%, respectively, modified their medication on their own initiative, although with subsequent approval by the psychiatrist, and 20.2% and 15.6%, respectively, modified their medication after consulting their psychiatrist. With regard to medication management, the groups did not differ either at post-treatment or at follow-up. At follow-up, regular attenders showed a reduced fear of side-effects, increased confidence in their medication and stable confidence in their physician. Among the control subjects, confidence in the medication and in their physician declined, and fear of side-effects increased. Psychoeducational training therefore led to an optimization of patients' attitudes toward treatment, but not to changes in medication management.

Visual Feedback Therapy to Enhance Medication Adherence in Psychosis

“…Zygmunt, Olfson, Boyer, and Mechanic (2002) examined 39 interventions to increase adherence and found psychoeducation without cognitive segments was not effective (55% vs. 26%). Dolder, Lacro, Leckband, and Jeste (2003) conducted a meta-analysis over 21 studies and found that 8 of 12 studies (Dixon et al, 1997;Hornung, Klingberg, Feldmann, Schonauer, & Schulze Monking, 1998;Kemp, Hayward, Applewhaite, Everitt, & David, 1996) that utilized the combination of cognitive, behavioral, and affective strategies improved adherence. Family intervention has also been effective.…”

The Influence of Familial Loading on the Course of Schizophrenic Symptoms and the Success of Psychoeducational Therapy

“…In such interventions the provision of information and specific techniques of (cognitive-) behavioral therapy are combined, with the aim of reducing the relapse rate [6].…”

The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guidelines for the Psychiatric Evaluation of Adults

“…For trauma-related diagnoses, as well as for neurocognitive disorders that are due to traumatic brain injury, the presence of a trau-matic event is a precondition of diagnosis. Past trauma can also be a risk factor for the development of other diagnoses such as depressive or anxiety disorders (Hovens et al 2012). A significant proportion of individuals with psychiatric illnesses appear to have experienced traumatic events (Coverdale and Turbott 2000;Cusack et al 2004;Frueh et al 2005;Lu et al 2013;Oram et al 2013;Posner et al 2008), but trauma-related diagnoses such as posttraumatic stress disorder are often overlooked (Mueser et al 1998).…”