ABSTRACT
Research into psychotic patients’ willingness to take neuroleptic medication has been dominated by quantitative studies carried out from a medical perspective, which have relied on the concept of “compliance”. According to Haynes, Taylor, and Sackett (1979), compliance can be defined as: “The extent to which a person’s behaviour in terms of taking medications, following diets, or executing lifestyle changes, coincides with medical or health advice”. However, the concept of compliance has been criticised because it appears to be paternalistic and suggests an unequal relationship between the patient and the prescriber. It assumes that a decision to refuse medication is always irrational and health-damaging. This presumption has been compounded in professionals’ views of people with mental health problems, who are often dismissed as “lacking in insight” if they doubt the value of medical treatment.
