Attitudes of patients and family members towards implantable psychiatric medication

Abstract

Introduction Medication is a necessary part of treatment for severe psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and nonadherence to prescribed medication is one of the most important public health issues in psychiatry today. The devastating consequences of nonadherence have motivated the development of novel therapeutic strategies, including a new long-term implantable medication delivery system. Methods The current study assesses attitudes towards implantable medication in psychiatric patients and their family members. Patients included in the study had diagnoses of Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Mood or Anxiety related disorders. Results 49.62% of patients and 74.47% of family members endorse support for implantable medication. Conclusions This study demonstrates that implants may be an acceptable alternative to oral and injectable medication for a subset of psychiatric patients and their families.