Improving medication adherence in patients with severe mental illness

Objectives: To provide information that will help pharmacists to understand and identify medication nonadherence among patients with severe mental illnesses and to present interventions that pharmacists can use to help improve patients’ medication adherence. Summary: Poor medication adherence, which is common among patients with severe mental illness, leads to poor health outcomes and increased health care costs. Many barriers to adherence exist, including patient and family attitudes, treatment-related issues, health-system factors, cultural influences, and stigma. This report describes tools to help pharmacists assess adherence and interventions to overcome adherence barriers. Conclusion: Pharmacists and other health professionals need education and training to help patients with severe mental illness improve medication adherence. Multidisciplinary patient-tailored interventions can help to improve adherence.