Effect of Patient and Family Insight on Compliance of Schizophrenic Patients

Insight on the part of both patients and their significant others is thought to be an important factor influencing compliance with medication and treatment of schizophrenic patients. Using the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder, the insight and the awareness of patients and of their significant others were studied with respect to symptoms, behaviors, and medication effects. The participants who were more aware of their mental illnesses and of the beneficial effects of medication were more likely to be compliant with prescribed medications. Both awareness and insight of the patient and their family members appears to have a beneficial impact on compliance. Participants whose significant others subsequently failed to cooperate with scheduled interviews had less awareness of their illnesses, and less appreciation of the beneficial effects of medications. Although not statistically significant, there was a trend for the patients who had no medication side effects to be compliant with prescribed medications. Abuse of alcohol or other substances in this population was low; only marijuana use was associated with noncompliance. Educating both patients and their family members to identify disease symptoms, drug effects and side effects has the potential to improve compliance in schizophrenic patients.