THE MEANING AND MANAGEMENT OF NEUROLEPTIC MEDICATION - A STUDY OF PATIENTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

The meaning of medication and the way in which people use medicines ha s been the focus of a number of studies in recent years. However, ther e has been little attention directed to the meaning and management of neuroleptic medication by people who have received a diagnosis of schi zophrenia. This topic is highly relevant to policy because of the cent ral role given to neuroleptics in contemporary mental health and commu nity care services. Using data from in-depth interviews with people wi th a diagnosis of schizophrenia we explore patients reasons for taking neuroleptics and the ways in which patients self-regulate their medic ation. The data suggest that the main utility of taking neuroleptic me dication is to control specific symptoms and to gain personal control over managing symptoms. The costs of taking medication were side-effec ts which at times equalised or outweighed the positive gains of the ne uroleptic medication. Patient accounts suggest that everyday medicatio n practices are to a significant degree related to a policy context wh ich stresses the need to survey and control the behaviour of people li ving in the community and the wider meaning and symbolic significance that schizophrenia has for patients in their everyday lives. For this reason, self regulatory action in this group of patients tends to be l ess evident and the threat of external social control greater than pat ients taking medication for other chronic conditions. The findings sug gest the need to develop a collaborative patient-centred model of medi cation management for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.