Title: 
Headings:  Why Do Some Individuals with Serious Mental Illness Refuse to Take Medication?
Why
 
Do
 
Some
 
Individuals
 
with
 
Serious
 
Mental
 
Illness
 
Refuse
 
to
 
Take
 
Medication?
 

(updated
 
March
 
2014)
 


Content: This
 
man
 
then
 
added: “The
 
only
 
thing
 
worse
 
than
 
taking
 
medication,
 
in
 
my
 
view,
 
is
 
to
 
have
 
an
 
uncontrolled
 
major
 
psychiatric
 
illness
 
that
 
runs
 
its
 
course,
 
and
 
in
 
the
 
process
 
of
 
doing
 
so,
 
destroys
 
the
 
mind
 
and
 
spirit.” Bergen
 
J.
 
The
 
sacrifices
 
of
 
being
 
medicated. “Berkeley
 
Daily
 
Planet,”
 
May
 
11,
 
2011. Many
 
studies
 
have
 
been
 
done
 
to
 
identify
 
the
 
reasons
 
why
 
some
 
individuals
 
with
 
schizophrenia
 
and
 
bipolar
 
disorder
 
refuse
 
to
 
take
 
medication. The
 
following
 
four
 
reasons
 
appear
 
to
 
be
 
the
 
most
 
important. Anosognosia: The
 
person
 
is
 
unaware
 
of
 
their
 
illness
 
and
 
does
 
not
 
think
 
they
 
are
 
sick. |
 
P
a
g
e
 
 
Advocacy
 
Center
 
(www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org)
 
Why
 
Do
 
Some
 
Individuals
 
with
 
Serious
 
Mental
 
Illness
 
Refuse
 
to
 
Take
 
Medication? (updated
 
3/2014)

 
national
 
survey
 
of
 
Americans
 
identified
 
individuals
 
with
 
serious
 
mental
 
illness
 
who
 
were
 
not
 
receiving
 
treatment
 
and
 
asked
 
why
 
not.