<div>Introduction: Patient adherence is a cornerstone in successful
management of psychiatric disorders and is affected by patient
perspectives and barriers, differing from rural to urban areas. In this
perspective, pharmacists have a vital role in identifying patients in
need of help and in dealing with barriers to adherence. This paper
investigates perspectives of patients diagnosed with psychiatric
disorders, living in rural areas in Jerash, Jordan, regarding their
awareness about their psychiatric conditions, including religious and
cultural factors, adherence to their treatment and related barriers,
with special focus on pharmacist’s role. Methods: This cross-sectional
survey study was conducted in Jordan from August to November 2019. A
validated questionnaire was administered by two pharmacists, asking
patients as they were waiting in the psychiatric clinic (following the
specialists’ approval). Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package
for the Social Science (SPSS). Results: Most patients (n= 120, age
39.4±9.5, 66.7% males) reported that they always/usually adhere to
their medications (71.0%), and 47.5% of them reported complete control
of their symptoms after treatment. Most patients (69.2%) reported that
they perceive their psychological illness in terms of religious faith as
being counted for their favor in the Hereafter, and 52.5% of them
always/usually looked at themselves positively and unaffected by the
existence of their illness; with both factors correlating significantly
with better treatment adherence (p &lt; 0.045 and p &lt;
0.001; respectively). Barriers affecting adherence included mainly
suffering from adverse effects (31.9%) and being unconvinced that they
needed a medication (23.3%). Only 14.2% of patients reported that they
refer to the pharmacist to get information about their medications.
Conclusion: Most psychiatric patients reported suboptimal control of
their symptoms. Nonadherence is one reason, with barriers identified.
Positive religious and cultural perspectives are associated with better
adherence, and most patients do not refer to pharmacists for medication
informatio</div>