The relationship between people with psychosis and antipsychotics
Research type
Research Study
Full title
What is the relationship between people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or psychosis, and the antipsychotic medication they are prescribed?
IRAS ID
242206
Contact name
Katharine Martyn
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Brighton
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 18 days
Research summary
The act of taking a medication daily seems simple, but the experience is complex. Through the construct of meaning, medication encompasses a larger dimension in the individual’s life, it entails implications for their feelings and interactions, requires definitions, choices, attitudes, re-evaluations and redefinition of subsequent actions (Vedana and Miasso, 2014).
It is recommended that people with psychosis or schizophrenia are offered antipsychotic medication (National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence, 2014), yet 74% of patients who are prescribed antipsychotics discontinue their medication within 18 months (Lieberman et al., 2005). Previous research suggests that that side effects, mistrust, stigma are frequent reasons for antipsychotic discontinuation (Moritz et al. 2013). Uhlmann et al. (2014) argue that stigmatization and self-alienation have a negative impact towards adherence.
A large proportion of the studies exploring attitudes to antipsychotics use questionnaires, standardised scales or structured interviews. By using scales, the complexity of the human experience cannot be captured. Therefore, a qualitative study using in-depth interviews is required to explore people’s relationship with antipsychotics.
This study using a constructivist grounded theory methodology will explore people’s relationship with the antipsychotics they are prescribed. It aims to understand the clients’ journeys of using and stopping antipsychotic medication. Service users, with an experience of psychosis will be invited to participate in the study through their clinical teams. Data will be collected and analysed iteratively and constant comparative analyses will guide further sampling and data collection, until an explanatory theory is developed to answer the research question. It is hoped that the study will give an opportunity for health care professionals to reflect on the findings which may reshape their clinical practice.REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1599
Date of REC Opinion
23 Oct 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion