ADHERENCE TO MEDICATION IN PATIENTS WITH BIPOLAR 1 DISORDER VISITING PSYCHIATRIC CENTERS AFFILIATED WITH QAZVIN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES IN 2017

Bipolar disorder or manic depression is a psychiatric disease of the mood disorder
type. The estimated prevalence of bipolar 1 disorder is ~1% in a person’s lifetime. Failure to adhere to
medications is a concern for psychiatrists. The present study aimed to examine adherence to medication
in patients with bipolar 1 disorder visiting psychiatric centers affiliated with Qazvin University of
Medical Sciences in 2017.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Qazvin, Iran, in 2017. The sample
comprised of 80 patients with bipolar 1 disorder in whom the diagnosis was made by psychiatrists based
on DSM-5 classification. Participants were selected via convenience sampling and based on inclusion
criteria. After collecting demographic and clinical information, the patients were evaluated using the
Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and the Young Mania Rating Scale. All data were analyzed in
SPSS 21.
Results: Qualitative data resulting from the evaluations were reported as frequency and percentage,
while quantitative data were expressed in mean and standard deviation. The frequency of qualitative
variables was compared across groups using the chi-squared test, and the quantitative variables were
compared using the t-test at p<0.05.
Conclusion: Considering the necessity and importance of drug treatment in the treatment of this
disorder, which was mentioned from different approaches, the aim of this study was to determine drug
adherence in patients with bipolar I disorder and the factors affecting it. In the present study, adherence
to medication was not significantly related to sex, age, level of education, occupation, number of
hospitalizations, and type and side-effects of medications. However, it negatively correlated with the
number of visits to the emergency department, i.e. As the adherence to medication decreased, the
number of visits to the emergency department increased.