Psychological Treatments

Question 1

What are the 3 Psychological Treatments?

Answer 1

1. Family Therapy
2. Token Economies
3. CBT

Question 2

Family Therapy

Answer 2

Family therapy emerged once it was recognised that the most beneficial way to help a schizophrenic patient was to involve at least the immediate family (parents and siblings) in the therapy process.

Most family therapists are concerned with reducing stress within the family that might contribute to a patient’s risk of relapse.

Question 3

What are the 3 Distinctive Stages of Family Therapy?

Answer 3

1. Psychoeducation
2. Stress Levels
3. Problem Solving Skills and Communication Skills

Question 4

Psychoeducation

Answer 4

Most of the family of the schizophrenic initially know little about the symptoms that the individual will be displaying and why they behave the way they do.

Knowing about what schizophrenia involves can help the family to understand what the patient is going through and can lessen feelings of anger, shame and guilt that are often associated with discovering that a close relative has a mental illness.

Question 5

Stress Levels

Answer 5

Once some of the knowledge has been established, the therapist will start to tackle the family stress levels and put the family in touch with sources of social support.

Controlling stress levels is important to create a more tolerant environment for the schizophrenic. The social support may emerge from within the family but can be facilitated by social support networks that exist.

The purpose is to enable a calm but frank discussion of the problems that may arise with schizophrenia so that workable resolutions can be found. With a better supported family environment, the schizophrenic is much more likely to engage in any personal therapy and stick to the drug regimen that has been prescribed.

Question 6

Problem Solving Skills and Communication Skills

Answer 6

The last stage of family therapy involves trying to raise problem solving skills and communication skills.

This therapy can either be delivered to the whole family or to selected family members across a number of families.

Some forms, for example, Behavioural Family Therapy (BFT), involves the whole family including the patient. Others, such as Relatives Group (RG) therapy, just involve one or two key family members from a number of different families.

Question 7

Token Economies