Table 2.

Themes and subthemes on the experiences of women with severe mental illness making decisions about psychotropic medication use

Theme	Subtheme	Description
The decision-making process	Shared-decision making	Giving information and sharing the decision-making process was important for women to understand balancing the risk of medication.
	Consistency and complete care	Developing a holistic approach, feeling listened to, and having consistency in care
	Collaboration and clear communication	Consistent and clear advice across health providers
	The challenges of managing medication	Complicated further by polypharmacy, pregnancy, potential medication change needed
How information is given	Information delivery	Past knowledge and experiences, and how information was presented both verbally and nonverbally
	Communication breakdown	Due to cultural and language barriers being underestimated
Breastfeeding dilemmas	Lithium use and breastfeeding choice	Conflicting pressures
	Autonomy regarding breastfeeding on medication	Patient-centered focus, breastfeeding choices, support