Background: The aims of this study were to describe outcome with respect to persistentpsychotic symptoms, relapse of positive symptoms, hospital admissions, and application oftreatment by coercion among patients with recent onset schizophrenia being adherent and nonadherentto anti-psychotic medication.Materials and methods: The study included 50 patients with recent onset schizophrenia,schizoaffective or schizophreniform disorders. The patients were clinically stable at study entry andhad less than 2 years duration of psychotic symptoms. Good adherence to antipsychotic medicationwas defined as less than one month without medication. Outcomes for poor and good adherencewere compared over a 24-month follow-up period.Results: The Odds Ratio (OR) of having a psychotic relapse was 10.27 and the OR of beingadmitted to hospital was 4.00 among non-adherent patients. Use of depot-antipsychotics wereassociated with relapses (OR = 6.44).Conclusion: Non-adherence was associated with relapse, hospital admission and having persistentpsychotic symptoms. Interventions to increase adherence are needed.
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