Medication nonadherence is the primary predictor of an initial relapse after first-episode psychosis (FEP), say Spanish researchers, who found that other factors predicted subsequent relapses.
The findings showed that second and subsequent relapses were associated with nonmodifiable factors, such as age at onset, a schizophrenia diagnosis, and a low level of positive symptomatology.
“This subgroup of patients could have greater predisposition to relapse related with the severity of the disease itself,” the investigators, led by Marcos Gomez Revuelta, MD, Hospital Universitario de Álava-Sede Santiago, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, note.
The findings were presented here at the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) 2017 Congress.
Need for Better Patient Relations
However, session chair Armida Mucci, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, in Italy, took issue with this notion and said that age of onset is a modifiable risk factor, noting it can be modified by identifying high-risk patients early on and enrolling them in prevention programs.
Speaking to Medscape Medical News after the session, Dr Mucci said that the rate of medication nonadherence in psychiatry is extremely high. She believes that the key to solving this problem lies in better physician-patient relationships, which she described as the "number one factor in the dropout rate.
I agree that a better physician patient relationship does help with med compliance but cmon. What about new meds? Have they given up on us?
That is all they concluded? We already knew that though! I guess they couldn’t find anything better so that’s their new stance. Antipsychotics are dangerous medicines that should only be used when absolutely necessary. Cmon guys, you can do better than this.
Yeah because most psychiatrists are arrogant jerks who say it’s their way or the highway. They don’t care about the awful side effects you’re getting and just expect you to stay on it forever. They don’t care about actually helping people they just want to not get sued so if you don’t agree to do what they say they’ll just kick you out so they don’t get in trouble for what happens to you instead of trying to help you get the best treatment possible.
So many psychiatrists have no idea what they are doing. For me personally I was only able to begin recovering when I found one that I truly believed in.
As for the meds, I think they are years behind the actual science of the brain. I wish they would catch up and develope something really good.
Taking neuroleptics is like a mideval form of torture.
If you insult the meds the doctors take it as an insult to the profession which they shouldn’t. They should be pushing the pharmaceutical companies to come out with better drugs rather than just sitting on their asses and entertaining pharmaceutical reps and their newest me too drug. I hate it
I have little or no respect for psychiatrists. They know their craft to an extent. They study what their drugs do, and have tell tale signs of what mental illness is, but they do not know the mind. The mind hasn’t been mapped. They are just beginning to understand its workings with mri scanners, but applying it is hit and miss. Doctors are not gods.
They do not know, but believe they do. That is their illusion.Having faith in people who are as fallible as mortal man with all its failings is like expecting God to cure me of sz with prayer and that has never happened. although some religions are based on the rantings of the mentally ill
Both of my pdocs have been pretty good. They care/cared about me and wanted me to get better. I have had good therapists. I’ve also had bad therapists. I endure side effects. I also expect to endure worse side effects in my lifetime. This is part of the disease. Welcome to hell. Take your information packet and enter the door on your right.
