Abstract:
Aim of the thesis was to examine the course of illness and treatment of patients with schizophrenia over four years with the main focus on compliance, quality of life, satisfaction with treatment as well as the patients' concept of illness.
Medical treatment and medication are very well accepted by the examined group of patients. But despite a high medication and treatment compliance of 60 % over four years, the rate of rehospitalisation reaches 70% within three years.
The patients` quality of life and satisfaction with treatment are high, their concept of illness appears to be stable during the period of examination.
Medication and treatment compliance are correlated to a good evaluation of the patients' contacts to the medical specialist. Satisfaction with work as well as with information concerning medication is significantly correlated to compliance. Contrary to other expectations, rehospitalisation and compliance do not show any statistical relationship.
The group of compliant patients does not show any significantly differing charasteristics compared with the whole group of examined patients.
Important results of this study are the high rates of compliance and rehospitalisation as well as the missing correlation between both. This should cause further examinations of other factors of influence on rehospitalisation, which could for example be found in the social surroundings of the patients as well as in special psychotherapeutic or sociotherapeutic methods of treatment.