Poor adherence to antipsychotics amongst schizophrenia patients in Nigeria

The aim of this study was to examine the experience of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia in the low-income country of Nigeria. A phenomenological approach was adopted to explore the relationship of poverty and poor adherence to antipsychotics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed. A reiterative process allowed the development of two major categories. It was found that the experience of taking medication was associated with both wellness and side-effects, which could affect the ability to function. Poverty was associated with poor adherence to antipsychotics. The results show that poverty and poor adherence to antipsychotics significantly overlap and result in lack of money to purchase antipsychotics, food insecurity, feelings of vulnerability and social exclusion. Respondents' in this study experienced significant poverty, which impacted negatively on health and wellbeing, and th...