Treatment Non-adherence Patterns Among Patients With Mental Illness: A Study From the District Mental Health Care Center in India

The success of any medical intervention, including mental health treatment, depends largely on patient adherence to the prescribed regimen. In psychiatric illnesses, one of the biggest problems is getting people to adhere to their treatment schedule, representing a treatment gap that increases the burdens of patients, families, communities, and countries. Globally, it has become necessary for community health organizations to actively work towards reducing this gap and treatment non-adherence. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine treatment non-adherence patterns among patients with mental illness. This work used a retrospective study design and consecutive sampling. The data source was secondary data obtained from the healthcare records of patients registered in the outpatient department of the District Mental Health Care Center, India, from January 2022 to December 2022. Out of a total of 883 patients recruited for the study, 35.7% (n=315) were on regular follow-up over a duration of more than one year. Among patients with severe mental illness, 46% (n=46) had regular follow-ups and were compliant with therapy. About 49% of patients (n=433) discontinued their treatment after the initial contact with the therapist, with the highest rate among those with substance use disorders (77.0%; n=57). The remaining 15.3% (n=135) of recruited patients discontinued their follow-up appointments over a duration of 1 week to 12 months. Overall, 64.3% (n=568) of the recruited patients discontinued their treatment within one year. There was considerable early treatment dropout among patients with mental illness. However, this treatment discontinuation can be avoided because the individual identities of these patients are well-known to the therapist or facility, as they have had at least one interaction with the therapist. In order to improve treatment adherence, patients with mental illnesses must receive consistent support through community outreach programs, home visits, and new strategies to promote treatment compliance.