Disturbance of compliance in patients with paranoid schizophrenia in the process of neuroleptic treatment

Abstract

As the development of approaches to correct compliance disorders in patients with schizophrenia remains relevant today, we examined 112 patients and studied both clinical and psychopathological and pathopsychological features on the background of treatment with neuroleptics. To identify and evaluate clinical and psychological characteristics of patients with varying degrees of adherence to treatment with neuroleptics. For implementation of the objectives of the work both clinical and psychological and psychodiagnostic examination of the mnestic and emotional sphere, personal characteristics and self-esteem in patients were used.The use of the scale of drug compliance gave the opportunity to single out groups of patients with varying degrees of compliance. The application of the technique to study the side effects of antipsychotics revealed a relation between severity of side effects of medications and patients’ compliance. Along with psychopathological features, the group with noncompliance was characterized by the maximum severity of disorders in cognitive sphere. Medical treatment was accompanied with changes in emotional sphere in the form of objective signs of affective discomfort, least pronounced in patients with full compliance. The personal features differing in patients with varying degrees of adherence to treatment were established. Analysis of color associations based on color test relationships with emotionally significant individuals and concepts revealed the most pessimistic associations with negative values of colors in relation to health and disease in patients with noncompliance. Self-assessment of patients with noncompliance was characterized by the lowest rates in contrast to patients with partial and full compliance. The revealed psychodiagnostic features make up pathopsychological complexes of symptoms, which serve as differential diagnostic criteria of compliance of varying degrees.