Perceived Symptom Targets of Antidepressants, Anxiolytics, and Sedatives: The Search for Modifiable Factors That Improve Adherence

Expectations about treatment and beliefs about illness influence adherence in physical disorders, but the extent to which this occurs in mood disorders is unknown. Identifying modifiable factors, such as beliefs, may improve adherence to mood disorder medications. Data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys were used to examine relationships among perceived symptom targets of medication (mood only, non-mood only, mood, and non-mood) and self-reported adherence to antidepressants, anxiolytics, and sedatives. The sample included 807 community-dwelling individuals with and without depression and anxiety who regularly took one of these medications in the year before the survey. Slightly over half (53.2 %) of respondents were adherent. Perceived medication purpose was only significantly related to adherence among Latino respondents. Latino respondents who viewed their symptom target as non-mood only were the most adherent. Perceived symptom targets of medications were not associated with most patients’ adherence behaviors for antidepressants, anxiolytics, and sedatives.