family therapy - psychological therapies Flashcards
what is the aim of family therapy
to improve quality of communication between family members and to reduce family dysfunction which might be the cause of the schizophrenia
what are family therapists most concerned about
reducing stress within the family which could lead to relapase
what strategies are involved in family therapy
forming a therapeutic alliance with all family members
reducing stress of caring for a relative with schizophrenia
improving ability of family to anticipate and solve problems
reduction of anger and guilt in family members
improving families beliefs and attitudes towards schizophrenia
what are evaluation points of family therapy
evidence to support its effectiveness
issues with quality of research evidence for effectiveness
it improves quality of life but is not a cure
is effective in increasing awareness of schizophrenia and its symptoms
explain the explanation of evidence to explain its effectiveness as an evaluation to family therapy (Pharoah et al)
Pharoah et al found that family therapy significantly reduced hospital admissions over the course of a year and improves quality of life for patients and their families
This has economic benefits because it reduces relapse rates so the patients are less likely to take up hospital beds and resources
explain the explanation of evidence to explain its effectiveness as an evaluation to family therapy (Anderson et al)
found a relapse rate of almost 40% when patients had drugs only, compared to only 20% when family therapy was used and the relapse rate was less than 5% when they were both used together
This has economic benefits because it reduces relapse rates so the patients are less likely to take up hospital beds and resources
explain the explanation that there are issues with quality of research evidence for effectiveness as an evaluation for family therapy
the results of studies have been inconsistent, there are also problems with the quality of research, for example small scale studies tend to lack a control group. if thee is a control group patients are not always randomly allocated to treatment and control conditions.
research only tends to look at the short term benefits
explain the explanation point that family therapy improves quality of life but is not a cure as an evaluation for family therapy
it helps by reducing the stress of living with schizophrenia both for the patients and the family. it does cure schizophrenia but may be effective in preventing relapse in patients who have received another type type of therapy such as antipsychotic drugs or CBT
explain the explanation family therapy is effective in increasing awareness of schizophrenia and its symptoms as an evaluation for family therapy
it may result in other family members who develop schizophrenia getting help earlier, or could prevent schizophrenia developing in other family members due to reduced expressed emotion and better communication within the family
