Long-term treatment of depression significantly reduces relapse rates in patients, but the issue of medication adherence is often an important influence that hinders effective prevention of depression relapse. Adherence refers to the extent to which patients’ behaviors conform to the requirements (prescriptions) of medical personnel in the treatment and prevention of somatic or psychiatric disorders. It is an important aspect of patient behavior that often plays a decisive role in outcome and regression. Adherence is usually classified as “good” (75% to 100% compliance with medical advice), “moderate” (25% to 75% compliance) and “poor” (0 to 25% compliance). (0-25% compliance). Factors affecting patients’ compliance with treatment may include: i. The authority of the doctor and his or her attitude The authority of the doctor includes the doctor’s professionalism and self-confidence. The doctor’s professional level refers to the doctor’s familiarity with clinical symptoms of various diseases, clarity of diagnosis, and grasp of drug treatment and non-drug treatment. When a doctor’s professionalism improves, he or she will have enough confidence. When the doctor explains the diagnosis and treatment of the disease clearly in the face of the inquirer, the patient will increase his or her trust in the doctor and at the same time increase his or her confidence in the treatment. In this way, the patient’s compliance will increase. The doctor’s attitude refers to the degree of patience and attentiveness. The more patient and attentive the doctor’s explanation is when the patient visits the doctor, the more likely the patient will strictly follow the medical advice, and then the higher the compliance will be. Second, patients’ awareness of the disease Sirey et al. studied the relationship between illness stigma and adherence in patients with depression. They found that in older patients (≥65 years), the greater the stigma, the greater the likelihood of interrupting treatment. In addition, the patient’s “individual illness model,” which includes the patient’s unique attitudes, beliefs, and expectations about the illness and treatment, was also strongly associated with adherence. Not all patients understand the nature of depression and the need for treatment, and there are often misconceptions in this regard, such as “depression is a natural reaction”, “I feel depressed because I am weak”, “I feel depressed because I am not trying to do well”, and “I feel depressed because I am not trying to do well”. I feel depressed because I’m not trying to do well”, “I can’t lead a normal life”, “drugs don’t help depression”, “psychotropic drugs have dependence” and “psychotropic drugs have a negative effect on the body”. ” and “psychotropic drugs have hormonal ingredients”, etc. If the doctor explains the disease and treatment clearly to the patient, the patient can cooperate with the doctor for early and long-term treatment of depression in sufficient quantity and duration, thus improving the compliance and reducing the relapse rate of depression. The efficacy of the prescribed drugs, the number of doses, their properties and adverse drug reactions The efficacy of drugs is one of the important factors affecting compliance. The vast majority of patients hope that treatment will work quickly after consultation, but it often takes some time for medication to take effect, especially oral medication. Most antidepressants take at least 2 to 4 weeks to work, and depressed patients in outpatient settings may abandon treatment because they do not see a short-term response; explaining to patients before treatment begins how long it will take for the medication to work can help improve adherence. Adherence is not related to the number of medications prescribed, but is related to the number of doses per day. For example, as the number of doses of antiepileptic drugs increased, patient nonadherence increased linearly, with 87%, 81%, 77%, and 39% adherence when the number of doses was one, two, three, and four times per day, respectively. The perceived composition of the medication (e.g., shape, color, size) may also affect adherence, such that red, orange, and yellow tablets are most appropriate for agonistic medications and blue and green for sedative medications. All currently used antidepressants have some adverse effects, especially those that occur early in the dosing process, which often lead to patient nonadherence. Different types of drugs differ in structure, pharmacological receptors, and recognized mode of action, and thus are tolerated differently by patients accordingly. In general, traditional tricyclic antidepressants are associated with more adverse effects, such as dry mouth, constipation, and abnormal heart rhythms, making them less acceptable to patients. The new generation of antidepressants such as selective 5hydroxytryptamine reuptake inhibitors and 5hydroxytryptamine-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors have relatively few adverse effects, so patient noncompliance with treatment is rare. The following measures can be taken to improve the compliance of depression treatment: 1. Improve the medical staff’s own cultivation and professionalism. Provide education to patients and their families about the disease and treatment to help patients and families understand the treatment process; 2. Establish a good doctor-patient relationship. Emphasize communication, discuss diagnosis and treatment with the patient, discuss optional treatment plans, discuss follow-up schedules, etc.; 3. Be patient-oriented. Consider the patient’s situation comprehensively, select appropriate medications, reduce the number and quantity of medications administered; reasonably arrange necessary follow-up visits to help patients resolve newly encountered difficulties; advocate a whole-course management model, prevention and treatment, and improve the cure rate of depression, reduce the relapse rate, and promote full recovery.