This what the guidance for disability benefits in the UK suggests.
I would say,maybe wrongly, that I’m an exception to that rule. My primary reason being on depot is my poor track record at taking oral meds.
I guess they had 2 choices (1) It’s not that important re the meds (2) Let’s transfer you on to depot because we think you need the meds, and this is a way of you taking them more regularly.
Whether that says much about severity of illness I think is debatable.
I always thought it was a matter of personal preference for most people. Except the court-ordered cases.
I’m on depot mainly so that I only have to remember to take my meds once a month, or else I would’ve quit them after a month or two, as I did consecutively, with bad results…
My psychiatrist suggested it to me and said for me to think about it, eventually I gave it a go, so it was a personal choice.
I just wonder why my former psychiatrist never told me about the depot, as it would’ve been a good way for me to keep taking the meds when I was less aware of their importance.
Nowadays I take sarcosine and some vitamins every morning, so I’m sure that if I ever return to oral meds I will not quit them on the grounds of forgetfulness.
I’m on depot because of not taking oral medication when they first prescribed me… Not sure about severity, from what I see here a lot of folks with severe sz take oral.
I would hazard a guess then that a lot of it’s to do with non compliance either through refusal to take or forgetting to take oral meds. Whether that necessarily indicates severity I guess is debatable. I would guess though that a lot who are severely ill might be the most likely to lack insight and refuse oral med, thus ending up on depot through things like court orders.
Just forgetting would probably be less indicative of severity.
I know the benefits guidance for schizophrenia suggests “Long term prescription of medication, in particular depot preparations” is likely to indicate long term disability…
I don’t know if that’s true, right now I’m on this med simply because it works. I’m high functioning, don’t have symptoms, about to go back to work.
I was on the Haldol depot for years. I didn’t notice any feeling of it making me any weaker or sicker than the pills did. It was good for me because I had such strongly mixed feelings about being on that drug. The temptation not to take it was strong. The depot took away that issue for me. Now I’m on Geodon and Seroquel, and things are much better.