Motivational interviewing for medication adherence in individuals with schizophrenia

Individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) experience a variety of symptoms that produce significant distress and interfere with social and role functioning. The most widely used approaches for treating individuals with these conditions include the use of antipsychotic medications. A common reason for treatment failure is nonadherence to medications, and the most common form of nonadherence is underuse of these medications. Motivational interviewing (MI) has been proposed to address substance use problems, goal identification, insight and treatment adherence, and medication adherence in individuals with SSD. We will review some of the symptoms experienced by individuals with SSD and interventions that have been demonstrated as effective in improving medication adherence in this population. We will end by making a number of recommendations based on the research literature and our own experience in using MI with individuals with SSD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)