Intervention Research Medication underuse = most common problem Nonadherence rate: = 50%

1. Intervention Research Medication underuse = most common problem Nonadherence rate: = 50%

2. Statistics • By 2010, 95% of patients should receive verbal counseling on appropriate use and potential risks of meds. • Most common example of noncompliance: antibiotic therapy. • In the general patient population in the U.S., 50% of all medications are taken incorrectly. • Nonadherence is greatest when patients are symptom free. • 40% of VA patients diagnosed with schizophrenia are “poorly adherent” with their antipsychotics. This puts them at much greater risk of rehospitalization.

3. Two types of non-adherence 1. INTENTIONAL NONADHERENCE • Stop taking meds • Creatively alter meds • Unendorsed polypharmacy 2. UNINTENTIONAL NONADHERENCE • Medication errors • Forget to take it • “It costs too much!”

4. There are three current major Tx Strategies for non-compliance • Educational-info provided in verbal/written format! i.e. info-e-mails, medication groups, client repeats instructions, bibliotherapy, teaching re: dx. • Behavioral-e-mail reminders, contracting, reminder containers, family involvement re: reinforcing/decision-making, med. monitoring • Affective-family support, encouraging adherence, engagment, collaborative decision-making. Purely educational interventions were least successful. Combination approaches were most successful, in terms of adherence and secondary outcomes.

5. The current strategies for dealing with N-C assumes there are two types of doctor/patient relationship • 1. Activity-Passivity (Treatment takes place regardless of patient’s contribution.) • 2. guidance-cooperation (patient is expected to comply, to obey) However, there is a third type of doctor/patient relationship. 3. Mutual participation

6. We think that the notions of compliance and adherence are deeply flawed Possible myths re:compliance? • People can be persuaded to do something (i.e,. take medication) that threatens their autonomy, if it is in their ‘best interest’ • Messages of health risk will be heard and accepted by those for whom the message is relevant. • The decision to take medication is based on ‘rational interests’. • The decision to take medication can be separate from other lifestyle/lifeworld decisions • Psychiatric illnesses are similar to other types of illness. • Psychiatric symptoms are worse than psychiatric treatment • It is better to attempt to coerce or maneuver someone into taking medication rather than allowing them to refuse. • Clients should understand and respect “the way we see their illness

7. The notion of Compliance is based on a model of help that is oppressive and suggests that the client does not know what is best for them! Compliance is coercive! For many, taking a medication evokes images of weakness, loss of responsibility, and submission to medical authorities. Historically, these are attributions that have closely accompanied the sick role in Western culture. These associations can invite an emotional posture of submission that obscures a patient’s awareness of life choices, to the patient’s detriment (Griffith & Griffith, 1994).

8. Analyze the following Exchange Cl: “I’ve feeling a little weird lately Th: Weird? How do you mean? Cl: Yeah! You know. Things just don’t seem right. I’m on edge and I feel like something bad’s gonna happen Th: Like? Cl: I I I don’t know. The people in my building are weird. The way they look at me… Th: Have you been exercising everyday? Cl: Well….. yeah! Th: everyday? Cl: well…I’m not sure Th: not sure? Cl: Well there are times when I forget Th: mmhmmm Cl: And times when I just don’t feel like it! Th: We’ve discussed how its important for you to stay on your routine! Cl. MmmHmm Th:Exercise can really help you, but only if you do it! Cl: mmmHmmm. Now substitute medication for exercise!!!

9. The decision to take medication is incredibly complex and involves an individual ‘weighing’ very complex configurations of ‘pros and cons’ which may change over time. Notice the issues of social humiliation and depleted self-esteem

10. We believe that the decision to take or not take medication is a dynamic, ongoing (perhaps continual) process of decision-making on one of the most important decisions in our client’s life. Historically, theories about medicine compliance viewed compliance as a static process of decision-making We believe that there are Stages to decisions about taking medication

11. Plotting the two stages of decision-making together Pre- contemplation Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenance Initial change On- Going change

13. Most therapists assume that clients are in the preparation or action phase • Biggest mistakes in planned change is assuming client to be in a phase that they are not!!! • Different interventions are used at each stage in order to move the client through action to maintenance • One can typically move from one phase to the next. • One cannot usually move a client from pre-contemplation to action

14. Plotting the two stages of decision-making together Pre- contemplation Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenance Initial change On- Going change

15. Prochaska & Diclementi’s model of change readiness has not been empirically studied with regard to compliance • It has been studied with regard to substance abuse and recovery • What P&D found was that people in recovery cycled through the stages of change several times, usually associated with relapse. That is, just as relapse is ‘built into’ the recovery model, so too people may re-cycle back to previous stages although rarely all the way to pre-contemplation • Thus they suggest a ‘spiral’ model of change readiness in which decisions are often re-made; reversed, re-visited and re-evaluated, then reversed again.

16. If we apply their model to medical compliance for the mentally ill, we must think about a ‘recovery’ model of metal illness in which ‘relapse’ is allowed, acceptable and planned for. • Relapse in this model would often include decisions to ‘go off’ of meds, ‘refusal’ etc. • If we consider the decision to take medication as a continual, lifelong process of ‘yes/no/maybe, our goal becomes solely to help the client make her decisions at different stages!

17. Helping within in a process that is unavoidable is far more useful than attempting to stop the unavoidable process (i.e. attempting to lead a client to a decision they will not keep!) Principles of decision therapy 1. The goal is mutual cooperation! i.e. the “mutual participation relationship” 2. be clear about the purpose of decision therapy. It is not to get the client to take meds. It is to help them make the best decision they can for themselves at the time! It is their decision! They have to live with the consequences; not us! 3. Extend the principle of charity to the client. We too often assume that our clients really don’t know what they are talking about. The principle of charity assumes that the client knows what he or she is talking about, even when we don’t see it. They are the experts on their lives. This means understanding WHY the client is not taking meds – from their perspective 4. Whenever possible, try to determine in what stage of the decision-making the client is. • Use decision-facilitating strategies that matches present stage of change. The goal is to move the client from one stage (in the decision-making process) to the next.

18. Applying the two stages of decision-making together Pre- contemplation Maintenance Contemplation Preparation Action Initial Decision About meds On- Going Decision About meds

19. Helping within in a process that is unavoidable is far more useful than attempting to stop the unavoidable process (i.e. attempting to lead a client to a decision they will not keep!) Principles of decision therapy – con’t. 6. Whatever the outcome, respect the client’s process as well as their decision. This is a fearsome and extremely difficult decision.