Sticking With Treatment - Overcoming Barriers To Treatment: Depression

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Sticking with treatment

Obviously, no treatment plan has a chance to work if it's not followed. Yet many, if not most, people don't take medicines exactly as prescribed, especially if they must take more than one drug at different times of the day.

An estimated 5% of patients flatly refuse to take antidepressants or mood stabilizers. Side effects make these drugs intolerable for another 10%–15% and may encourage countless others to occasionally skip pills, tinker with dosages, or stop taking a drug without their doctors' knowledge. If you're having trouble with your medication, talk to your doctor or therapist. He or she can help you sort out the problem and make adjustments if necessary.

Some people who opt for therapy find that it can be difficult to keep at it. Change isn't easy. Even when you're willing to make life changes, the resulting ripples may affect your friends, coworkers, spouse or partner, and children, some of whom may not be as supportive as you'd like. It sometimes helps to encourage those most important to you to join you in a therapy session or to attend support groups.

Last updated:	January 23, 2007