Only a minority of patients with schizophrenia are strictly adherent to antipsychotic medication.[Tiihonen et al., 2011; Ljungdalh, 2017] The consequences of non-adherence can be severe; because antipsychotic medications effectively reduce the risk of psychotic relapse, non-adherence increases the risk of relapse.[Zipursky et al., 2014] Indeed, in one systematic review of relapse rate in the year following a first episode of non-affective psychosis, the rate of relapse was 3% in patients taking antipsychotics, compared with 77% in patients who were not treated with antipsychotic medication.[Zipursky et al., 2014]
References:
Ljungdalh PM. Non-adherence to pharmacological treatment in schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders – an updated systematic literature review. Eur J Psychiatry 2017; 31 (4): 172–186.
Tiihonen J, Haukka J, Taylor M, et al. A nationwide cohort study of oral and depot antipsychotics after first hospitalization for schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 2011; 168 (6): 603–609.
Zipursky RB, Menezes NM, Streiner DL. Risk of symptom recurrence with medication discontinuation in first-episode psychosis: a systematic review. Schizophr Res 2014; 152 (2–3): 408–414.