Early self-reported medication non-adherence in depression: A hospital-based prospective study from Northeast India.
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Max Multi-Speciality Hospital, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
- 2Department of Psychiatry, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok, Sikkim, India.
Abstract
Background
Early medication nonadherence represents a critical barrier to achieving optimal outcomes in major depressive disorder (MDD). Despite India's high depression burden, only a few studies have examined psychosocial factors associated with early nonadherence in routine clinical settings.Aim
To evaluate the prevalence and psychosocial factors associated with early self-reported medication nonadherence in depression within 1 month of treatment in a psychiatric outpatient department.Methods
A prospective cohort study included 101 adults diagnosed with MDD at a tertiary hospital in Northeast India who were antidepressant-naïve for the current episode and attended their first follow-up within a month. Sociodemographic and clinical factors, depression severity, and stigma were assessed at baseline. Medication adherence and medication attitudes were assessed at follow-up.Results
Early self-reported medication nonadherence occurred in 27.7% of patients. In bivariate analysis, nonadherence was associated with longer episode duration, treatment-emergent side effects, higher personal and perceived stigma, and poorer medication attitudes. In logistic regression, higher perceived stigma was associated with increased odds of early medication nonadherence (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.67, P = .015) and higher drug attitude scores were associated with lower odds (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.90, P < .001), whereas sociodemographic variables did not show a significant association.Conclusion
Nearly one-third of MDD patients self-reported early medication nonadherence. Psychosocial determinants, particularly stigma and negative medication attitudes, played a greater role than demographic or clinical factors. Early psychoeducation and stigma-reduction strategies could be crucial for enhancing medication adherence and improving treatment outcomes in depression.
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BibTeX
@article{upadhyay2026early,
title = {{Early self-reported medication non-adherence in depression: A hospital-based prospective study from Northeast India.}},
author = {Apoorva Upadhyay and Geeta Soohinda and Harshavardhan Sampath and Sanjiba Dutta},
journal = {Indian journal of psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.4103/indianjpsychiatry_1083_25},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43011926},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Early self-reported medication non-adherence in depression: A hospital-based prospective study from Northeast India.
AU - Apoorva Upadhyay
AU - Geeta Soohinda
AU - Harshavardhan Sampath
AU - Sanjiba Dutta
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Indian journal of psychiatry
DO - 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry_1083_25
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43011926
AB - Background Early medication nonadherence represents a critical barrier to achieving optimal outcomes in major depressive disorder (MDD). Despite India's high depression burden, only a few studies have examined psychosocial factors associated with early nonadherence in routine clinical settings.Aim To evaluate the prevalence and psychosocial factors associated with early self-reported medication nonadherence in depression within 1 month of treatment in a psychiatric outpatient department.Methods A prospective cohort study included 101 adults diagnosed with MDD at a tertiary hospital in Northeast India who were antidepressant-naïve for the current episode and attended their first follow-up within a month. Sociodemographic and clinical factors, depression severity, and stigma were assessed at baseline. Medication adherence and medication attitudes were assessed at follow-up.Results Early self-reported medication nonadherence occurred in 27.7% of patients. In bivariate analysis, nonadherence was associated with longer episode duration, treatment-emergent side effects, higher personal and perceived stigma, and poorer medication attitudes. In logistic regression, higher perceived stigma was associated with increased odds of early medication nonadherence (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.67, P = .015) and higher drug attitude scores were associated with lower odds (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.90, P < .001), whereas sociodemographic variables did not show a significant association.Conclusion Nearly one-third of MDD patients self-reported early medication nonadherence. Psychosocial determinants, particularly stigma and negative medication attitudes, played a greater role than demographic or clinical factors. Early psychoeducation and stigma-reduction strategies could be crucial for enhancing medication adherence and improving treatment outcomes in depression.
SN - 0019-5545
SN - 1998-3794
ER -