SCHIZOPHRENIA: Family Therapy

Question 1

What is Family Therapy?

Answer 1

A range of interventions aimed at the family of someone with SZ. It should also involve the the person with SZ, if practical.

Question 2

What are some features of Family Therapy?

Answer 2

• Lasts from 3-12 months (at least 10 sessions)
• Improve communication and interaction between family members, and reduce the stress of living as a family and so reduce rehospitalization
• Commonly used in conjunction with drug therapy or outpatient clinical care
• Can reduce relapse rates by up to 50% (Gateson et al)

Question 3

What happens in sessions of family therapy?

Answer 3

Patient encouraged to explain what sort of support they do and do not find helpful. Therapist encourages family members to listen to each other, discuss problems and negotiate potential solutions together.

Question 4

What are some strategies used to improve functioning of the family?

Answer 4

1. Forming a therapeutic alliance with family members
2. Reducing stress of care and emotional climate within family
3. Improving ability to anticipate and solve problems
4. Reducing anger and guilt in family members
5. Maintaining realistic expectations among family members for patient performance

Question 5

What is Psychoeducation?

Answer 5

Helping the person and carers to understand and be able to deal with the illness. Therapy improves this and boosts families knowledge, beliefs and behaviour towards SZ.

Question 6

What does Pharoah et al (2010) suggest about the strategies used in family therapy?

Answer 6

They reduce stress and expressed emotion, while increasing chances of patients complying with medication. This tends to reduce likelihood of relapse and readmission to hospital.

Question 7

What was the procedure of Pharoah et al’s (2010) study into Family Therapy?

Answer 7

Reviewed 53 studies published between 2002 to 2010 to investigate the effectiveness of family intervention. Chose studies conducted in Europe, Asia and North America. Compared outcomes of family therapy compared with ‘standard’ care.

Question 8

What were the findings of Pharoah et al’s (2010) study into family therapy?

Answer 8

• Mental State: Overall impression was mixed. Some studies reported improvement compared with those in standard care, whereas others didn’t
• Compliance with Medication: The use of family intervention increased patient’s compliance with medication
• Social Functioning: Despite slight improvements in general functions, It did not seem to have much effect on most concrete social outcomes such as living independently or employment
• Reduction in Relapse and Readmission: reduction in the risk of relapse and readmission during treatment and in the 24 months after