Neuroleptic Compliance Among Chronic Schizophrenic Outpatients: An Intervention Outcome Report

This study investigated the effects of a behavioral-tailoring (BT) intervention and a psychoeducational (PE) intervention on neuroleptic medication compliance of chronic schizophrenic outpatients. Thirty-six schizophrenic participants were assigned to either a PE ( n = 12), a BT ( n = 12), or a control group ( n = 12). Compliance was measured by self-report, significant others' ratings, and pill count at pretreatment and 1-month and 3-month follow-up contacts. Results indicated that BT participants were significantly more compliant, as measured by pill count following treatment than were the other groups. Additionally, low correlations were found between the three compliance measures. The results suggest that subjective ratings may have questionable validity and that behavioral techniques may be superior to other approaches in improving neuroleptic compliance among chronic schizophrenic outpatients.