A brief motivational intervention for enhancing medication adherence for adolescents with bipolar disorder: A pilot randomized trial

Abstract Background Youth with bipolar disorder (BP) exhibit poor medication adherence, contributing to affective recurrence. Brief Motivational Interventions (BMIs) improve adherence among adolescents with chronic conditions. Methods In an open pilot series, we developed a 3-session BMI for BP adolescents targeting medication adherence and conducted a pilot randomized trial comparing Standard Care (SC) versus SC+BMI. Participants include 43 adolescents with BP prescribed psychotropic medications. We assessed medication adherence objectively via bluetooth-enabled electronic pillbox (MedTracker). A blinded evaluator assessed mood symptoms at intake, 3- and 6-months. Results The BMI was well-received. Average objective medication adherence increased with time in SC+BMI, but decreased in SC-Alone (p  Limitations Electronic pillbox use (across groups) may enhance adherence, resulting in overestimates compared with naturalistic conditions. This pilot randomized trial may have been underpowered to detect some group differences. Conclusions A BMI offers promise as a disseminable adjunctive intervention for improving medication adherence for adolescents with BP. Future studies with larger samples can establish efficacy. NCT03203720