Compliance and Outcome in Patients Treated with Antipsychotics

Abstract

Compliance is a behaviour influenced by many factors. Although many review articles state that extrapyramidal syndromes (EPS) are one of the most important reasons for noncompliance, only a few authors have investigated this question systematically. We review relevant literature on EPS and their potential influences on compliance in patients with schizophrenia. The findings are equivocal. When the available studies are compared, wide variations in study design, as well as different statistical approaches and hypotheses, become apparent. Another limiting factor in investigating the correlations between compliance and EPS is the observation that compliance will improve under study conditions. On the basis of the available literature, correlations between EPS and compliance cannot be definitively discussed. Definitions of compliance and standardised study designs are necessary to obtain comparable and meaningful data on this issue. Despite the paucity of conclusive research, adverse effects as well as compliance, and their inter-relationship, must always be considered during any type of treatment far schizophrenia.