OBJECTIVES OF PROPOSED RESEARCH:

Primary objective: 

·       To assess the proportion of bipolar disorder patients adherent to their prescribed medication

·       To assess the factors influencing adherence to medication among these patients

Secondary objective:

·       To assess the attitudes of bipolar disorder patients about psychiatric medications

·       To assess the quality of life among these patients

·       To assess the need of counselling among these patients

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY: Non-adherence in patients with bipolar disorder results in aggravation, bipolar disorder recurrence, emergency room visits, hospitalization, and poor psychosocial outcomes . Though non-adherence rates have been reported to range between 30-50% in patients with bipolar disorder , the problem of adherence is often either overlooked by the physician or denied by the patient. An essential first step to enhancing medication adherence is to objectively estimate adherence.    

METHODOLOGY: Bipolar disorder patients (diagnosed by ICD-10 criteria) under stable prescribed dose of medicines for 6 months and in clinical remission from the outpatient department will be recruited as per selection criteria.  Patients will be assessed using the following scales:

• Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS)-8
• Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)
• WHO Quality of Life – BREF 
• Drug Attitudes Inventory (DAI)-10

EXPECTED OUTCOME: Possible factors behind poor adherence identified in the study may assist in better understanding of patient behaviour regarding medication intake and suggest ways to improve therapeutic outcome in the long run.