Pharmacotherapy

Pharmacotherapy is a treatment used for mental health disorders; however, medication should always be part of a wider treatment plan. Medications are one tool in the toolkit for treating mental health disorders, and clinicians should consider using them along with other treatments, rather than on their own.

Medication non-adherence is a common concern in all populations. Many people are reluctant to start to take medications while many who start medication end up stopping (Bulloch & Patten, 2010; Cramer & Rosenheck, 1998; Osterberg & Blaschke, 2005). This is the case in most situations for just about every medication for long-term illnesses (Bulloch & Patten, 2010).

Factors that promote adherence to taking medication include higher education, employment, higher financial status and marriage/partnership. These factors indicate that socioeconomic status and social support might have a positive impact on adherence (Gast & Mathes, 2019).

Depending on the mental disorder and the medication, there may be ways to increase adherence (for examples, see Chong et al., 2011; Nose et al., 2003; Osterberg & Blaschke, 2005; Thompson & McCabe, 2012). One strategy that helps when working with refugee and immigrant groups is involving family members in discussions of the different treatment alternatives. This can strengthen the therapeutic alliance, empower the family and improve adherence to treatment (Kirmayer et al., 2011). However, not taking prescribed medications should not always be seen as a problem to solve. If clients do not want to take medications, and instead prefer to get better in a different way, that is usually a positive step.