THE IMPACT OF EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT ATTITUDES COMPRISING MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA ON TAKING PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS AS PRESCRIBED

Research suggests mental illness stigma adversely impacts psychotropic medication use. Few studies have examined stigma and psychotropic medication use with a naturalistic design. This study assessed the independent impact of attitudes toward psychiatric medication, cognitive insight, explicit and implicit attitudes of public stigma and self-stigma on psychotropic medication use for people with serious mental illnesses. Medication use was examined in this one-month longitudinal study via self-reported medication use, desire to take medication as directed, pill count use rates over a onemonth period, and pharmacy records including maximum continuous gap, number of gaps, and medication possession ratios. The primary expectation that explicit and implicit attitudes would independently explain lower psychotropic medication use was mostly not supported. On average participants took 82% of psychotropic medication as prescribed, indicating medication was taken at a therapeutic level despite stigma. The most consistent association across time was a positive relationship among desire to take medication and self-application of negative stereotypes. The second finding was that attitudes toward psychotropic medication may be associated with self-reported use, maximum continuous gap, and medication possession. Implications for clinical practice recommend providers are aware, discuss, and intervene in consumer’s experiences with stigma, which can improve medication use and psychological stability. Future research should specifically enroll participants who concurrently take suboptimal doses of medication (