Psychological Treatments of Schizophrenia- Family Therapy Flashcards
What is the process of family interventions?
- First, the focus is on developing co-operative and trusting relationships within the family. Both the patient and family meet in a supportive environment, where all family members are valued.
- Next, the therapist educates the group about the symptoms, causes, and prognosis of schizophrenia, whilst family members bring together their experiences of the disorder.
- The goals of the therapy is to provide the patient and family with a set of practical coping skills that enable them to manage the everyday difficulties involved in schizophrenia.
- It is accepted that the family may occasionally feel anger and impatience, but they are taught how to express concern without resorting to high expressed emotion.
- The family and patient are also trained to recognise the early signs of potential relapse, so they can respond rapidly and reduce its severity.
If the point is:
A strength of family therapy as a psychological treatment is that there is evidence to support its effectiveness with schizophrenia patients.
What is the evidence and link?
Evidence- Leff et al used 24 patients in a programme that involved: educational sessions dealing with the nature of schizophrenia, its symptoms and the best way to deal with difficult behaviour (1), group meetings between families to discuss how they dealt with schizophrenic family members (2), family sessions where social workers and other professionals were present (3). Leff found that families involved in the intervention showed a significant decrease in critical comments directed towards the patient and reduced over involvement. 78% of patients in the control group were readmitted to hospital compared to only 14% of the experimental group.
Link- This implies that family intervention made a significant difference to the interactions within the families, and also helped to significantly reduce the chance of relapse.
If the point is:
A weakness of family therapy as a psychological treatment is that some of the research into it have methodological flaws that limit the credibility of the support.
What is the evidence and link?
Evidence- In Leff’s study the families were already on the waiting list, so there was no manipulation of the independent variable. This means that the family would be open to this type of therapy and not all families would be happy to take part.
Link- This implies that family therapy lacks rigorous experimental support which questions how effective it really is for schizophrenia.
If the point is:
A strength of family therapy as a psychological treatment is that it seems to be most effective when used in conjunction with powerful antipsychotics.
What is the evidence and link?
Evidence- Vaughn and Leff researched schizophrenic patients returning to either high or low expressed emotion in the household and noted how taking medication influenced relapse. The effect of no medication on low expressed emotion was insignificant. In the high expressed emotion household, relapse increased with more face to face contact, and with no medication the relapse rate rose to 92%.
Link- This implies that focusing on both family dynamics and biochemistry is best for patients and their families.
If the point is:
A strength of family therapy as a psychological treatment is that, despite its high cost, many argue it can reduce the ‘revolving door syndrome’ often seen with schizophrenic patients.
What is the explanation and link?
Explanation- This refers to being in and out of hospital due to unmanaged symptoms. By treating more of the cause of schizophrenia, patients can manage their disorder long-term. This could save money overall on the NHS, as it will reduce how often someone is in clinical care.
Link- This could suggest that many psychologists would state that family therapy is a cost effectiveness mechanism for dealing with schizophrenia.
What are the evaluation points of family therapy as a psychological treatment?
+ Evidence to support its effectiveness
— Some research into it has methodological issues that limit the credibility of the support
+ Seems to be most effective when used in conjunction with powerful antipsychotics
+ Despite its high cost, many argue it can reduce the ‘revolving door syndrome’ often seen within schizophrenic patients
What are some examples of family interventions?
- Building cooperative trusting relationships
- Educating on the symptoms of schizophrenia
- Practical coping strategies
- Learning how to express concern
- Recognising early signs of relapse
