From: Jeffrey Nard and Mark Townsend. “Finding the balance in bipolar disorder: focus on mania and safety.” An industry-sponsored symposium presented in conjunction with the U.S. Psychiatric & Mental Health Congress, New Orleans, La., November 16-19, 2006. Reviewed in Diagnosing And Treating Bipolar Disorder By Jeff Minerd. November 21, 2006
While patients and clinicians often assume that medication noncompliance among patients with bipolar disorder, an especially common problem, is typically caused by the the patient’s hope to regain the euphoria associated with manic episodes, this is, according to a survey published in Psychopharmacology Bulletin, the reason least cited by noncompliant patients, being named as the primary cause for noncompliance by only 2% of patients. In comparison, approximately 30% said they failed to comply with medication because of side effects, such as sexual dysfunction and weight gain.
