Patient Voices: Lived Experiences of Decision-Making Process in Long-Term Antipsychotic Medication Treatment

This research explores patients’ perspectives on the decision-making process for long-term antipsychotic treatment. Twenty individuals on non-compulsory antipsychotic medications were interviewed, and their responses were analyzed using grounded theory. The analysis revealed three interconnected themes that suggest a cyclical process potentially eroding patient autonomy: According to participants’ accounts, they often received limited information about dependence, withdrawal symptoms, or expected treatment duration before starting medication. Subsequently, many reported developing desires to stop or reduce their antipsychotic treatment. Participants then described experiencing dismissal of their reported side effects or treatment ineffectiveness, lack of alternatives, and opposition to reduction attempts from their psychiatrists. These experiences formed a cycle where initial information gaps contributed to later challenges when attempting treatment modifications. The findings emphasize the value of comprehensive information delivery, serious consideration of patients’ reported experiences, and treatment processes that enhance patients’ sense of autonomy in their psychiatric care.