A qualitative exploration of family members’ perspectives on reducing and discontinuing antipsychotic medication

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the sample.

	N (%)
Gender
Female	8
Male	3
Gender of Service User
Female	2
Male	7
Employment
Retired	8
Part Time Employment	1
Unemployed	2
Ethnicity
White British	10
British Indian	1
Current method of antipsychotic delivery
Depot Injection	5
Oral tablets	6
Diagnosis of the person they care for
Paranoid Schizophrenia	8
Schizoaffective Disorder	1
Acute Schizophrenia and Drug-Induced Psychosis	1
Schizophrenia with Catatonic Features	1
Relation to the person they care for
Parent	10
Spouse/Partner	1
Living with the service user
Yes	7
No	4
Number of years caring for service user
<5 years	1
>5 years	10

Table 2. Thematic Analysis.

Main Themes	Sub-Themes
Fragile Stability	Trauma of relapse
	Fear of altering medication
	Length of time on medication
	Fear of the unknown
Ambivalence	No alternative
	Good therapeutic effect
	Negative side effects
	Losing and gaining a part of the person they loved
Constant Vigilance vs Autonomy	Constant worry
	Practical issues with giving medication
	Coercing service user to take medication
	Responsibility for the distribution of medication
	Distrust that service user will take medication
	Perceiving the depot injection as a “safe guarantee”

Data availability statement

Data is available upon reasonable request.