HEALTH TOPICS 
Encouraging patients to take medication as prescribed
Two recent reviews offer advice about assessing and improving treatment adherence.
Many patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia — like those with other chronic health conditions — find it difficult to follow a prescribed medication regimen (see table). This is unfortunate, as studies consistently show that the more carefully such patients take medications as prescribed, the less likely they are to experience a relapse or hospitalization.
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