Medication Adherence in Patients with Bipolar I Mood Disorder: An Egyptian Study

Abstract

ipolar Affective Disorder (BAD) is a prevalent, often severe, recurrent psychiatric disorder, which is associated with a high risk for relapse; it is also associated with high levels of long-term morbidity, comorbidity, hospitalization, disability, and increased mortality rate resulting from suicide, accidents, and adverse outcomes of comorbid substance-use and medical illnesses. Adherence to medication therapy is a phenomenon subjected to the influence of multiple factors related to sociodemographic conditions, the disorder itself, therapy, the associationship between health professionals and patients as well as patients themselves. A common problem met in patients with BAD is that patients do not take their medications regularly. Non adherence increases the recurrence of mania, the frequency of depressive episodes, hospitalizations and suicides, compromising the quality of life of patients and relatives and increasing costs for the health system. Although currently available medications, combined with psychotherapy, permit 75-80% of patients with BAD to lead an essentially normal life, long-term adherence to prescribed treatment is difficult to sustain in BPD patients, especially during periods of relative euthymia or euphoria.