Psychosis and medication: strategies for improving adherence

The development of traditional anti-psychotic medication has led to improvements in the care of mentally ill people. These medications have been the mainstay of drug treatment for schizophrenia for many years. In recent years, however, the advent of so-called 'atypical' anti-psychotics has enabled patients to be treated without experiencing the range of severe side-effects associated with traditional medicines. Ensuring mentally ill patients take prescribed treatment is seen as an important element of the work of mental health nurses. Adopting approaches which are non-adversarial may provide better outcomes than straightforward advice giving. A combination of psycho-education and a technique known as brief motivational interviewing could provide a useful starting point for nurses. Whether such approaches will be supported given recent declarations on policy intentions remains to be seen.