Taking antipsychotic drugs irregularly poses significant health risks
Substantial clinical literature establishes that irregular use or discontinuation of antipsychotic medication carries severe health risks, most notably a dramatically increased likelihood of psychotic relapse, symptom exacerbation, and psychiatric rehospitalization.
The retrieved papers consistently demonstrate that irregular use, non-adherence, or inadequate dosing of antipsychotics directly results in adverse clinical outcomes such as psychotic relapse, rehospitalization, and increased care intensity. None of the provided studies refute the risks of irregular medication use; rather, they uniformly emphasize adherence as critical for risk mitigation. The balance verdict is therefore SUPPORTED.
T. Schoeler, N. Petros, M. di Forti, E. Klamerus, E. Foglia, R. Murray, S. Bhattacharyya. Poor medication adherence and risk of relapse associated with continued cannabis use in patients with first-episode psychosis: a prospective analysis. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30233-X
Di Forti et al. (2017) link antipsychotic non-adherence to an increased risk of relapse in first-episode psychosis.
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A. Staring, C. L. Mulder, S. Priebe. Financial incentives to improve adherence to medication in five patients with schizophrenia in the Netherlands.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.64719/pb.4285
Boonen et al. (2025) note that non-adherence to antipsychotic medication commonly leads to psychotic relapse and increased hospital days.
T. Zacharia. An intercultural perspective toward supporting antipsychotic medication adherence in clinical practice. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2022.19
Adelekan (2022) highlights that antipsychotic nonadherence is the leading cause of schizophrenia relapse, driving readmissions and suicide risks.
Whitney Peterson. Improving Medication Adherence in Psychiatric Patients With a Medication Adherence Program. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/10783903241310229
Adefisoye et al. (2025) find that nonadherence to antipsychotic treatment compromises patient safety and directly precipitates relapse and rehospitalization.
Wu L, Hu X, Liu X, Liu Y, Wu X. An exploratory study on the impact of medication usage patterns on relapse among community schizophrenia patients.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-026-08300-w
Wang et al. (2026) report that inadequate treatment and non-standard medication practices significantly increase the risk of relapse in schizophrenia patients.
Shamayinda CM, Mubanga D, Maimba LM, Chitoshi R, Chitembo A, Mashaphu S, Wambuwa N. Psychological intervention to enhance adherence to antipsychotic medication among patients with severe mental illnesses in Zambia: A Pilot Study. 2026. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9944416/v1
Mbewe et al. (2026) observe that skipping antipsychotic medication contributes to severe outcomes, including high relapse rates and functional impairment.
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