Medication Compliance Scale Test - the question form
Questions: 25 · 5 minutes
1. Behavior during pharmacotherapy.
Takes medication independently
Takes medication under supervision of medical staff or relatives
Avoids taking medication (avoids or refuses)
2. Interest in taking medication.
Actively engaged in taking the medication; understands the need for treatment; interested in treatment parameters
Agrees to take the medication despite doubts about its effectiveness
Passively agrees to take the medication with no expectation of benefit
Unwilling to take medication
3. Concerns about psychotropic effects in general or about the possibility of side effects.
No unfounded concerns about medication.
Believes that psychotropic medications may eventually cause unpleasant side effects.
Believes that medications, like any “chemical” (i.e., non-natural) substances, may be harmful to the body.
Believes that psychotropic medications may eventually cause a psychological effect such as being “zombified” or having one’s personality “destroyed.”
Has a negative attitude toward the current medication due to personally experiencing subjectively distressing side effects or lack of effect.
Has a negative attitude toward medications due to personally experiencing subjectively distressing side effects or lack of effect with several (3 or more) medications.
4. Psychologically driven sabotage of medication taking.
No psychologically driven sabotage
Insufficient subjective distress from the illness
Perception of the clinician (e.g., mistrust, dissatisfaction with the interaction, etc.)
Fear of stigmatization (taking medication is perceived as confirming the presence of mental illness to oneself/others)
Characteristics of the patient’s illness representation
Presence of secondary gain from the illness (e.g., receiving care from relatives, exemption from responsibility and burdens, financial benefits)
5. History of medication nonadherence (if present).
No nonadherence
Reducing medication doses
Irregular medication taking
Stopping medication
Taking medications not prescribed by the clinician
6. The patient’s attitude toward previously taken medications.
Positive
Neutral / has not taken them before
Negative
7. Patient’s rating of the effectiveness of the current medication when used as monotherapy.
High
Moderate
Low
8. Patient’s rating of the effectiveness of the current medication combination.
High
Moderate
Low
9. Acceptability of parenteral administration of the medication.
Satisfied
Indifferent / not used
Dissatisfied
10. Acceptability of taking the medication by mouth.
Satisfied
Indifferent/not applicable
Dissatisfied
11. Satisfaction with the medication dosing schedule.
Completely satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
12. Medication availability.
Available
Unavailable due to financial or other reasons
13. Information about the expected time to onset of the medication’s effect.
Received by the patient
Not received
14. Insight into illness.
Insight into the psychological mechanisms of the illness
Insight into symptoms
Partial insight
No insight
15. Level of positive psychotic symptoms (BPRS score).
Low (up to 40)
Moderate (40–60)
High (above 60)
16. Level of negative symptoms (SANS score).
Low (up to 30)
Moderate (30–60)
High (above 60)
17. Frequency of relapse.
Low (no more than 1 per year)
Moderate (2–3 per year)
High (more than 3 per year)
18. Suicidal and other self-destructive tendencies.
Low
Moderate
High
19. Comorbid substance misuse and/or personality disorder.
Absent
Present
20. Overall level of social functioning and adaptation (GAF score).
High (up to 40)
Moderate (40–60)
Low (above 60)
21. Cognitive impairment is present.
Absent
Present
22. Level of social support, including financial help with obtaining medications.
High
Moderate
Low
23. Attitude of the close social environment toward medication.
Appropriate attitude toward medication
Friends have a negative attitude toward medication
Treating psychotherapist or alternative practitioner has a negative attitude toward medication
Family has a negative or inappropriate attitude toward medication
24. Therapeutic alliance.
High
Moderate
Low
25. Adequacy of clinical follow-up outside of exacerbation.
High
Moderate
Low