psychological therapy for schizophrenia: family therapy Flashcards
what is the aim of family therapy
to improve the quality of communication and interaction between family members.
create a more supportive and warm family atmosphere that helps the patient make progress and the family to feel more positive and effective in their caring role.
how can this therapy help family members in particular
helps to reduce the stress of caring of a person with schizophrenia.
reduce anger and guilt (EE)
Tries to help family members achieve a balence between caring and living and living their own lives.
increase tolerance and understanding by educating family members about schizophrenia.
what does family therapy target specifically to help the patient with SZ.
reducing the levels of expressed emotion within the family which should reduce stress levels of the patient and therefore the chance of relapse rates.
This may involve recognising that anger and guilt is a normal feeling, but must find better ways to cope with them.
what is family therapy
treatment for schizophrenia based on the family dysfunction explanation of schizophrenia. According to this explanation, schizophrenia is caused (at least in part) by familial dysfunction and so family therapy aims to address this dysfunction rather than focusing on the schizophrenic patient in isolation
what may a typical session of family therapy involve?
therapist first encourages family members to form a therapeutic alliance, whereby they all agree on the aims of the therapy
The family may be educated about schizophrenia and taught to recognise the early signs of relapse.
Patient may be asked to discuss their symptoms and chance for family members to ask questions.
family is taught practical coping skills enabling them to manage everday difficulty.
where might a typical session take place? what is the duration of this therapy
usually takes place within homes using 2 therapists. lasts between 3-12 months and involves sessions every 2-4 weeks. minimum 10 sessions.
what research is there that supports the effiacy of family therapy, why is this beneficial.(AO3)
research by McFarlane who concluded that family therapy was consistently effective, and reduced relapse rates by 50-60%.
This shows family therapy is effective in reducing the likelihood of relapse as it deals with high levels of expressed emotion.
Therefore it’s likely the treatment does lead to a long term behavioural change in the family as equips them with lifelong coping strategies.
does family therapy deal with the root cause of SZ (AO3)
no, it does not treat the symptoms of schizophrenia as it is likely the distal cause is due to genes and biology. However it can help to reduce the stress levels of the environment in which the patient is in, which is a factor in severity of symptoms and chance of relapse.
what are some practical barriers that may limit the efficacy of family therapy (AO3)
need high motivation levels from both the patient and family members, family therapy requires a minimum of 10 session therefore demands lots of time from families which some members may not always be able to give.
is family therapy a tailored treatment (AO3)
yes family therapy is tailored to the individual and their family. Therefore considers the unique experience of the individual suffering from SZ meaning the discussion and coping strategies is tailored to meet a variety of needs and concerns of the family therefore is a meaningful treatment.
is family therapy suitable for all schizophrenic patients (AO3)
Some schizophrenic patients do not have dysfunctional families and so family therapy is unlikely to be an effective treatment for them.
although family therapy cannot be used in isolation, what is a hollistic way of using it (AO3)
family therapy compliments other treatments for example antipsychotics. This helps reduce the severity of the symptoms so that the patient is in a better place to engage meaningfully with family therapy.
