Adherence predicts symptomatic and psychosocial remission in schizophrenia: Naturalistic study of patient integration in the community

Abstract

IntroductionPsychosocial functioning in patients with schizophrenia attended in daily practice is an understudied aspect. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between symptomatic and psychosocial remission and adherence to treatment in schizophrenia. MethodsThis cross-sectional, non-interventional, and multicenter study assessed symptomatic and psychosocial remission and community integration of 1787 outpatients with schizophrenia attended in Spanish mental health services. Adherence to antipsychotic medication in the previous year was categorized as ≥80% vs. <80%. ResultsSymptomatic remission was achieved in 28.5% of patients, and psychosocial remission in 26.1%. A total of 60.5% of patients were classified as adherent to antipsychotic treatment and 41% as adherent to non-pharmacological treatment. During the index visit, treatment was changed in 28.4% of patients, in 31.1% of them because of low adherence (8.8% of the total population). Adherent patients showed higher percentages of symptomatic and psychosocial remission than non-adherent patients (30.5 vs. 25.4%, p<0.05; and 32 vs. 17%, p<0.001, respectively). Only 3.5% of the patients showed an adequate level of community integration, which was also higher among adherent patients (73.0 vs. 60.1%, p<0.05). ConclusionsAdherence to antipsychotic medication was associated with symptomatic and psychosocial remission as well as with community integration.