Citation

Rashid A. Br. J. Gen. Pract. 2022; 72(725): e582.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Royal College of General Practitioners)

DOI

10.3399/bjgp22X721361

PMID

36424146

Abstract

Psychotropic medications have been a central pillar of mental health treatment for several decades, although little is known about the complex reasons why people often choose to stop taking them. A recent Irish systematic review sought to shed light on this, synthesising findings from 14 studies that were conducted between 2004 and 2019 in a variety of countries (UK, Norway, Sweden, Israel, Iran, Ethiopia, Australia, Canada, and the US).1 They found that, rather than a perceived lack of insight due to 'mental illness', stopping medication is typically a decision influenced and driven by a variety of personal, health, social, and environmental factors. Some of these factors are common to most individuals, such as a desire to live free from adverse side effects, while others are specific to an individual's personal life goals, such as regaining a sense of self and independence...

Language: en