Research: No Insight, Major Problem

New data on lack of insight: A recent study found that:

... patients who lacked awareness [of their mental illness] had significantly longer episodes of antipsychotic nonadherence, were more likely to completely cease taking the antipsychotic medication, were more likely to have severe positive symptoms, and were more likely to be psychiatrically hospitalized after nonadherence than those who were aware of their illness. Psychological interventions and several types of family interventions were significantly less effective among patients who lacked awareness.

Awareness of Illness and Nonadherence to Antipsychotic Medications Among Persons With Schizophrenia, by Mark Olfson, M.D., M.P.H., Steven C. Marcus, Ph.D., Joshua Wilk, Ph.D. and Joyce C. West, Ph.D., M.P.P.