Psychological factors involved in psychopharmacological medication adherence in mental health patients: A systematic review

Therapeutic management in the low-wage workplace

Medicalization represents an increasingly significant form of social control. Emergent evidence suggests that workplace managers take up medicalized practices and discourses to produce a compliant labor force, but this phenomenon has received limited sociological attention. This paper extends prior theories of medicalization to investigate therapeutic management in the low-wage workplace. I draw upon eight months of ethnographic fieldwork in Disability Works, a nonprofit job training program for people with mental illnesses, and interviews with other providers and advocates within this field. Disability Works harnesses therapy, psychiatry, and "softer" therapeutic practices such as mindfulness meditation, sleep hygiene, and positive affirmations to produce its workforce. This paper identifies two dimensions of therapeutic management: (1) it aims to inculcate work norms at the level of client-workers' embodied dispositions, and (2) it aims to transform structural problems into individual ones. Findings illuminate therapeutic management as an emergent workplace regime and may guide future research on its effects.

What is the impact of antidepressant side effects on medication adherence among adult patients diagnosed with depressive disorder: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Medication adherence is a prerequisite to achieving beneficial treatment outcomes. In major depressive disorder, many patients fail to complete medication regimens, raising concern for poor treatment outcomes. It is usual to experience adverse drug reactions (ADRs) while taking antidepressants, and relative discomfort is reported by patients.

AIMS

The present review focuses on the presence of antidepressant-related side effects and the subsequent relationship with medication non-adherence.

METHODS

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Following the preliminary research, the research question and eligibility criteria were created based on the PICO framework. All articles retrieved from the selected databases were exported to Covidence, a Systematic Review managing software tool. Two reviewers assessed the papers to identify the risk of bias using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool for cross-sectional studies. Seven studies with a low-moderate risk of bias fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were conducted from 2013 to 2020 in Europe, Africa and Asia.

RESULTS

The results demonstrated high levels of suboptimal adherence ranging from 46% to 83% amongst the studied population. A variety of side effects were reported by a significant number of participants predominantly with moderate severity. A correlation between the presence of ADRs and suboptimal rates of adherence to antidepressants was found. Somnolence and headaches among other unspecified ADRs were found to increase the dropout rates for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study elucidates the need for effective interventions to facilitate antidepressant adherence and enhance doctor-patient communication, benefiting both the individuals and the healthcare system and leading to better clinical outcomes and reduction of relapse-related costs.

Perceived control as a predictor of medication adherence in people with Parkinson's: a large-scale cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

Medication adherence is a multi-faceted construct associated with several positive consequences in people with chronic conditions. However, non-adherence currently represents a major issue in Parkinson's, potentially due to low perceptions of control. This study investigated the predictive ability of several aspects of perceived control on adherence in people with Parkinson's, while accounting for previously established predictors such as depression and medication variables.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An online cross-sectional survey was carried out with 1210 adults with Parkinson's from 15 English-speaking countries. Demographic and clinical questions, as well as measures of depression, aspects of perceived control, and medication adherence were included. Pearson's correlations and a 4-block hierarchical regression analysis were performed to assess the relationship between the variables.

RESULTS

Perceived control explained a slightly higher amount of variance in medication adherence compared to medication variables when entered in the last block. Unexpectedly, depression was not significantly related with adherence. Internal locus of control was an independent negative predictor of adherence, while external dimensions of locus of control emerged as independent positive predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

In people with Parkinson's, perceptions of control may have a larger impact on adherence compared to medication variables. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.Implications for RehabilitationPerceived control and depression are considered important constructs for medication adherence in Parkinson's, which in turn is often problematic for affected individuals.The specific predictive value of different aspects of perceived control on medication adherence in Parkinson's is currently unclear.This large-scale study found that perceptions of control may have a larger impact on adherence compared to medication variables, while depression was unrelated to it.A need for psychologically-informed interventions, person-centred approaches to medication management, and Parkinson-specific measures of adherence are highlighted.

Beliefs about Medicines and the Level of Intentional Non-Adherence to Treatment among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Treated with First-Line Drugs

INTRODUCTION

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory, demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. MS has no curable disease but drug modifying therapy (DMT) can delay the long-term disability progression of the disease. The effectiveness of MS treatment depends on the patient's adherence to therapy.

AIM

This study evaluated the level of intentional non-adherence and the relationship between beliefs about medication and the level of intentional non-adherence to treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A group of 146 patients with relapsing-remitting MS were included. To assess different aspect of adherence, the Intentional Non-Adherence Scale (INAS) was used. For evaluating patients' beliefs and opinions regarding medication, the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) was used.

RESULTS

The mean total INAS score was 51.41 ± 27.83 points. Patients were most concerned about the necessity to take medication and least concerned about the harm caused by medication. The overuse and harm domains of the BMQ were significantly correlated with INAS scores (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Independent determinant of intentional non-adherence was overuse.

Reciprocal associations between beliefs about medicines, health locus of control and adherence to immunosuppressive medication in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant patients: Findings from the ADE-TRAM study

PURPOSE

Patients undergoing allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) are required to strictly adhere to immunosuppressive medications to avoid rejection and infective complications. Since medication adherence is among the most important modifiable behaviors to achieve better outcomes, the aims of this study were to measure the baseline and longitudinal trends of medication adherence and investigate the psychological factors associated with medication adherence in allo-HSCT patients.

METHODS

This was a single-center, longitudinal study of patients who underwent allo-HSCT to treat hematological malignancies at the University hospital of Florence (Italy). Adherence was measured with the Immunosuppressive Medication Self-Management Scale; psychological factors (i.e., beliefs about medicines and health locus of control) were measured with the Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire and Multidimensional Health locus of Control Scale. Data were collected 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after discharge. A mixed effects model was performed after adjusting for demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

50 adult patients were included in this study. Adherence to immunosuppressant was optimal and increased significantly 3 months after bone marrow transplantation (B = 0.23, p = 0.041). Patients with lower concerns about immunosuppressive medications were more likely to be adherent (B = 0.02, p = 0.040), while those having beliefs that their disease was due to external factors were less likely to be adherent (B = -0.02, p = 0.026) than their counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS

These results underline the importance of psychological factors in affecting adherence to immunosuppressants of allo-HSCT patients. Healthcare providers and researchers should target medication beliefs and reorient locus of control with appropriate interventions, in order to improve adherence.

The Effect of Shared Decision-Making by Mental Health Nurses on Medication Adherence in Patients with Alcohol Use Disorders: Provider-Patient Communication Pathway Model

The involvement of patients with mental health issues in their own treatment decision-making has often been overlooked. This study aimed to investigate the impact of shared decision-making between mental health nurses and patients with alcohol use disorders (AUD) on medication adherence. The provider-patient communication pathway model was utilized to examine the ways in which therapeutic communication strategies employed by mental health nurses positively influence medication adherence. The study employed a percentile bootstrap method and pairwise comparison tests in structural equation modeling. The results revealed that shared decision-making between AUD patients and mental health nurses directly enhanced medication adherence, as well as indirectly influenced adherence through the mediating factors of therapeutic alliance and alcohol abstinence self-efficacy. These findings hold both theoretical and practical implications for involving patients with AUD in therapeutic decision-making within psychiatric and mental health nursing settings, as well as for improving medication adherence among this patient population.

Smartphone application use patterns for mental health disorders: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Mobile mental health applications play a significant role in mental health care to fill gaps in care for mental disorders. Despite the growth in mobile phone apps for mental health conditions, patients' mental health smartphone application use, perceived usefulness, and future interest in using apps for mental disorders have not been systematically examined.

METHODS

The authors designed and conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Articles reporting mobile/smartphone applications used for mental disorders describing ownership, application use, perceived helpfulness, future interest to use, use patterns, and attitudes were included. PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched. Published articles from 2014 up to October 2022 were included. The methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool. The heterogeneity test, publication bias, funnel plots and Egger's test were applied. The outcome was calculated by metaprop command using a random-effects model.

RESULTS

Ten studies met the eligibility criteria. The pooled prevalence of smartphone ownership, application use for current mental health disorders, perceived usefulness, and future interest in using the app for their mental health problem was 88.63%, 23.29%, 72.80%, and 78.97%, respectively. Heterogeneity and publication bias were detected.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study indicate that despite a considerable number of smartphone users, perceived usefulness, and future interest in using smartphone mental health applications among patients with mental disorders, only about one-fifth use an application for mental health disorders. The results show that there is a large potential to increase the use of apps for patients to support self-care in the growing era of digital mental health. Further research with consumers and mental health professionals is recommended to address barriers and improve mhealth app utilization.

REGISTRATION

Prospero international prospective register of systematic reviews with ID: CRD42022359416.

Medication nonadherence and its associated factors in psychiatric patients in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Medication nonadherence (MNA) poses a significant challenge in the management of major psychiatric disorders. The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of MNA among patients with psychiatric disorders in India and to identify the factors associated with MNA. The following databases were searched systematically: PubMed, Directory of Open Access Journals, and Google scholar. Articles originating from India published in peer reviewed English language journals before May 15, 2021 reporting the prevalence of MNA and associated factors among patients with psychiatric disorders were retrieved and the relevant data were abstracted. The pooled prevalence of MNA was calculated using the inverse variance method. Factors associated with MNA were synthesized and described. A total of 42 studies (pooled N = 6,268) were included in the systematic review. Among these, 32 studies (pooled N = 4,964) reported the prevalence of MNA and hence were eligible for meta analysis. The pooled prevalence of MNA was 0.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.37-0.52). The pooled prevalence of MNA for psychotic disorders, bipolar disorders, and depressive disorders were 0.37 (95% CI, 0.28-0.46), 0.47 (95% CI, 0.23-0.72), and 0.70 (95% CI 0.60-0.78), respectively. Negative attitude toward medications, polypharmacy, greater severity of illness, lack of insight, and cost of medications were associated with MNA. Quality appraisal of the included studies revealed that most studies did not categorize and address nonresponders and did not provide any information on nonresponders. To conclude, about half of the patients with psychiatric disorders in India are nonadherent to their psychotropic medications. Evidence based interventions to improve medication adherence in these patients need to be developed and implemented proactively keeping in mind the factors associated with MNA.

Therapeutic Adherence of People with Mental Disorders: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis

Patient therapeutic adherence lies at the core of mental health care. Health Care professionals and organizations play a major role in promoting adherence among people with mental disorders. However, defining therapeutic adherence remains complex. We used Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis to explore the concept of therapeutic adherence in the context of mental health. We conducted a systematic literature search on Medline/PubMed and CINAHL for works published between January 2012 and December 2022. The concept analysis showed that major attributes of therapeutic adherence include patient, microsystem and meso/exosystem-level factors. Antecedents are those related to patients, such as their background, beliefs and attitudes, and acceptance of mental illness-and those related to patient-HCP therapeutic engagement. Lastly, three different consequences of the concept emerged: an improvement in clinical and social outcomes, commitment to treatment, and the quality of healthcare delivery. We discuss an operational definition that emerged from the concept analysis approach. However, considering the concept has undergone evolutionary changes, further research related to patient adherence experiences in an ecological stance is needed.

Complex polypharmacy in bipolar disorder: Results from a real-world inpatient psychiatric unit

BACKGROUND

Multiple medications are frequently prescribed to patients with bipolar disorder (BD). The aim of the present study was to identify sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with complex polypharmacy in patients affected by BD.

METHODS

556 patients with BD were included. A semi-structured interview was used to collect sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, as well as pharmacological treatment. Participants were divided in two groups, abased on the use of complex polypharmacy (i.e., a combination of 4 or more psychotropic medications). Differences between the two groups were evaluated with t-test and chi-squared test. A stepwise logistic regression was then applied to identify factors significantly associated with complex polypharmacy.

RESULTS

Patients with BD and complex polypharmacy were more likely to be single and unemployed. Moreover, earlier age at onset, longer duration of illness, higher number of hospitalizations, higher prevalence of medical and psychiatric comorbidity, and the use of illicit substances (except heroin) were associated with complex polypharmacy. In the logistic regression model, single status, older age, number of hospitalizations, and the presence of psychiatric comorbidities were regarded as factors significantly associated with complex polypharmacy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reflect the need to develop clear guidelines for the long-term management of BD, especially when pharmacological discontinuation is needed.

The effect of mindfulness on medication adherence in individuals diagnosed with Schizophrenia: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of mindfulness on medication adherence in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 147 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. The data were collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Form, Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale.

RESULTS

A strong positive correlation was determined between the mindfulness level and medication adherence of the individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. Furthermore, mindfulness of the individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia was statistically significant in explaining medication adherence (p < 0.05) and mindfulness predicted medication adherence by 64%.

CONCLUSION

It was observed that the individuals' mindfulness level was low and half of the participants had low medication adherence. Moreover, as their mindfulness level increased, so did their medication adherence.

Gender affirming hormone therapy dosing behaviors among transgender and nonbinary adults

Gender-affirming hormones have been shown to improve psychological functioning and quality of life among transgender and nonbinary (trans) people, yet, scant research exists regarding whether and why individuals take more or less hormones than prescribed. Drawing on survey data from 379 trans people who were prescribed hormones, we utilized multivariable logistic regression models to identify factors associated with hormone-dosing behaviors and content analysis to examine the reasons for dose modifications. Overall, 24% of trans individuals took more hormones than prescribed and 57% took less. Taking more hormones than prescribed was significantly associated with having the same provider for primary and gender-affirming care and gender-based discrimination. Income and insurance coverage barriers were significantly associated with taking less hormones than prescribed. Differences by gender identity were also observed. Addressing barriers to hormone access and cost could help to ensure safe hormone-dosing behaviors and the achievement trans people's gender-affirmation goals.

Factors Associated with Medication Adherence to Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics: Results from the STAR Network Depot Study

INTRODUCTION

Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics are prescribed to people with severe psychiatric disorders who show poor adherence to oral medication. The present paper examined factors potentially associated with medication adherence to LAI treatment.

METHODS

The STAR (Servizi Territoriali Associati per la Ricerca) Network Depot Study was a multicenter, observational, prospective study that enrolled 461 subjects initiating a LAI from 32 Italian centers. After 6 and 12 months of treatment, we evaluated differences between participants with high (≥5 points) and low (<5 points) medication adherence using Kemp's 7-point scale in sociodemographic, clinical, psychopathological, and drug-related variables. Factors that differed significantly between the two groups were entered for multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

Six months after enrollment, participants with high medication adherence were younger, living with other people, had lower Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) total scores, lower adverse events, and a more positive attitude toward medication than participants with low adherence. Multivariate regression confirmed lower BPRS resistance and activation scores, absence of adverse events, and positive attitude toward medication as factors significantly associated with good adherence. After 12 months, all BPRS subscales were significantly lower in the high adherence group, which also showed a more positive attitude toward medication. BPRS resistance and attitude toward medication were confirmed as factors associated with medication adherence.

DISCUSSION

Our findings suggest that adherence to LAI is principally related to attitude toward medication and traits of suspiciousness/hostility. Quality of patient-clinician relationship and tailored psychoeducational strategies may positively affect adherence in people undergoing psychopharmacological treatment, including LAI.

Adherence to Oral Contraception in Young Women: Beliefs, Locus of Control, and Psychological Reactance

Background: There is a high dropout rate of oral contraceptive pills (OCP), mainly due to a lack of adherence to treatment. The aim of this study was to identify the psychological processes and attitudes toward medication involved in adherence to OCP, depending on the prescription, to avoid unintended pregnancies (AUP) or gynecological problems (GP). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted by asking 689 young women in the fertile period, mean age 23.41 (SD = 5.90), to complete questionnaires related to attitudes, beliefs, psychological reactance, locus of control, and adherence to contraceptive medication. Descriptive analyses and a binary logistic regression were performed. Results: The results confirmed that different beliefs and psychological processes were involved in adherence to oral contraception, based on women’s reasons for taking contraceptive medication. More psychological processes were involved in non-adherence in the AUP group than in the GP group. Psychological reactance contributed most to explaining non-adherence in women who used the OCP to prevent unintended pregnancies. Conversely, women with gynecological problems reported difficulties in adherence, mainly due to their beliefs about contraceptive pills. Conclusions: These findings indicate that attitudes toward medication and psychological processes can play an important role in adherence to OCP, including reasons for using the pill. Identifying the psychological factors and beliefs linked with contraception could guide health professionals to provide counseling to women, thus increasing their adherence to medication and maximizing their health and well-being.

Why Service Users Choose Medication-Free Psychiatric Treatment: A Mixed-Method Study of User Accounts

PURPOSE

Medication has been a central part of treatment for severe mental disorders in Western medicine since the 1950s. In 2015, Norwegian Health Authorities decided that Norwegian health regions must have treatment units devoted to medication-free mental health treatment to enhance service users' freedom of choice. The need for these units has been controversial. The aim of this study was to examine why service users choose medication-free services. This article examines what purpose these units serve in terms of the users' reasons for choosing this service, what is important for them to receive during the treatment, and what factors lay behind their concerns in terms of medication-related views and experiences.

METHODS

Questionnaires were answered by 46 participants and 5 participants were interviewed in a mixed-method design integrated with a concurrent triangulation strategy applying thematic analysis and descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Negative effects of medications and unavailable alternatives to medication in ordinary health care were important reasons for wanting medication-free treatment. Medication use may conflict with personal values, attitudes, and beliefs.

CONCLUSION

This study broadens the understanding of why the demand for separate medication-free units has arisen. The findings may contribute to making medication-free treatment an option in mental health care in general. To this end, clinicians are advised to communicate all treatment alternatives to service users and to be mindful of the effect of power imbalances in their interactions with them.

Brain circuitry underlying the ABC model of anxiety

Anxiety Disorders are prevalent and often chronic, recurrent conditions that reduce quality of life. The first-line treatments, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive behavioral therapy, leave a significant proportion of patients symptomatic. As psychiatry moves toward targeted circuit-based treatments, there is a need for a theory that unites the phenomenology of anxiety with its underlying neural circuits. The Alarm, Belief, Coping (ABC) theory of anxiety describes how the neural circuits associated with anxiety interact with each other and domains of the anxiety symptoms, both temporally and spatially. The latest advancements in neuroimaging techniques offer the ability to assess these circuits in vivo. Using Neurosynth, a large open-access meta-analytic imaging database, the association between terms related to specific neural circuits was explored within the ABC theory framework. Alarm-related terms were associated with the amygdala, anterior cingulum, insula, and bed nucleus of stria terminalis. Belief-related terms were associated with medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, bilateral temporal poles, and hippocampus. Coping-related terms were associated with the ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, basal ganglia, and anterior cingulate. Neural connections underlying the functional neuroanatomy of the ABC model were observed. Additionally, there was considerable interaction and overlap between circuits associated with the symptom domains. Further neuroimaging research is needed to explore the dynamic interaction between the functional domains of the ABC theory. This will pave the way for probing the neuroanatomical underpinnings of anxiety disorders and provide an evidence-based foundation for the development of targeted treatments, such as neuromodulation.

The Influence of Body Image, Insight, and Mental Health Confidence on Medication Adherence in Young Adult Women with Mental Disorders

The aim of this descriptive study was to investigate the impact of body image, insight, and mental health confidence on medication adherence among young adult women with mental disorders. Data collection occurred from August to September 2018. The study participants were 147 young adult women aged 19 to 45 with mental disorders who were psychiatry outpatients either getting treatment in general hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province or receiving rehabilitation therapy through local mental health welfare centers in Korea, and agreed to participate in the study. The measurement tools used were the Body Image Scale; the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder, Korean short-form version; the Korean version of the Mental Health Confidence Scale; and the Korean version of the Medication Compliance Scale. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis in SPSS/WIN 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Medication adherence among the study participants differed by age (F = 2.95, p = 0.042), religion (t = −2.06, p = 0.042), level of trust in psychiatrists (F = 5.40, p = 0.006), treatment duration (F = 4.48, p = 0.005), and noncompliance to medication regimens due to weight gain (t = −2.61, p = 0.010). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that body image (β = −0.32, p < 0.001), insight (β = −0.24, p = 0.002), and mental health confidence (β = 0.24, p = 0.004) had a significant impact on the medication adherence of the participants. Body image, in particular, had the greatest influence on the medication adherence of the participants. This study found that body image, insight, and mental health confidence were important in improving medication adherence among young adult women with mental disorders. Practical, patient-centered, and individualized approaches that can improve medication adherence by seeking to understand negative perceptions regarding body image should be considered.

Cardiovascular disease in patients with severe mental illness

Individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have a life expectancy 15-20 years shorter than that in the general population. The rate of unnatural deaths, such as suicide and accidents, is high for these patients. Despite this increased proportion of unnatural deaths, physical conditions account for approximately 70% of deaths in patients with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, with cardiovascular disease contributing 17.4% and 22.0% to the reduction in overall life expectancy in men and women, respectively. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as smoking, unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, are common in these patients, and lifestyle interventions have been shown to have small effects. Pharmacological interventions to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease have been proven to be effective. Treatment with antipsychotic drugs is associated with reduced mortality but also with an increased risk of weight gain, dyslipidaemia and diabetes mellitus. These patients have higher risks of both myocardial infarction and stroke but a lower risk of undergoing interventional procedures compared with the general population. Data indicate a negative attitude from clinicians working outside the mental health fields towards patients with severe mental illness. Education might be a possible method to decrease the negative attitudes towards these patients, thereby improving their rates of diagnosis and treatment.

Patient-reported well-being: psychometric properties of the world health organization well-being index in specialised community mental health settings

The Five-item World Health Organization Well-being Index (WHO-5) is an increasingly used measure of generic well-being, but there is no evidence to support whether outpatients consider the questionnaire valuable. As the WHO-5 has not yet been psychometrically evaluated in specialised community mental health settings, an evaluation of its validity seems warranted. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the psychometric properties of the WHO-5 in this type of setting. Data was collected from an outpatient center (N = 191 adults). Results indicate that the questionnaire was feasible to administer (n = 57 patients), it reported low mean Burden-scores and high Positive-Value scores, and had excellent internal consistency. No evidence of floor or ceiling effects was found. Results supported the unidimensional structure of the questionnaire. Significant differences were found concerning patients' diagnoses, with patients with schizophrenia diagnoses reporting higher scores and patients with depression and personality disorders reporting lower ones. When comparing the WHO-5 total score and patients' attitudes toward medication, negative correlations were observed with psychological reactance, as well as positive aspects of psychiatric medication. The present study demonstrates that the WHO-5 is feasible to administer and has robust psychometric properties in specialised community mental health centres.