The use of medication groups for the treatment of patients with mayor mental illnesses
Abstract
Medication group sessions may provide both an efficient use of time and effective treatment for chronically and severely ill patients. Such sessions may help patients avoid episodes of decompensation and enhance patient compliance with medication treatment. The group process can offer patients education, mutual support, practice in socialization, and a decrease in feelings of isolation. In medication group sessions, the therapist must focus on the use of medications as the primary goal of treatment. Patients can be mutually supportive and helpful to one another in medication compliance. A shift in group focus away from the use of medications into psychodynamic issues may be a resistance to treatment. The main purpose of the group is to enhance patients’ compliance with medication treatment. Such groups may be useful for a wide range of chronically and severely ill psychiatric patients.
