Sz non bio treatment: family therapy

Question 1

number of interventions aimed at offering help to families with a sz member.

Question 2

it is based on the theory that sz is associated with sz mothers, double blind communication and expressed emotion. the main objectives are to try improve communication by reducing stress and conflict and lowering ee.
- it aims to help the whole family support the sufferer by developing a support network. it involves open and honest conversations between the whole family about the illness and persons experience. it is commonly used in conjugation with drug therapy and outpatient care.

Question 3

there are a range of strategies used

Answer 3

preliminary analysis:
- through interviews and observation, the therapist identifies strengths and weaknesses of family members and identifies problem behaviours.

information transfer:
- teaching the patient and family about the illness; its causes, the influence of drug abuse, and the effect of stress and guilt. helps members to understand.

communication skills training:
- teach family to listen, to express emotions appropriately and to discuss things.

Question 4

practical

Answer 4

economic benefits:
- highly cost effective because it reduces relapse rates, so the patients are less likely to take up hospital beds and resources.

design and implementation:
the largest problem into the effectiveness of family therapy relates tp practical issues.
this is because studies involved are not able to randomly allocate participants to experimental group and control group. this means that patients only regarded as best suited to therapy are put onto this treatment. only those families who re likely to respond well to treatment may be chosen.
this therefore means that the research is subject to treatment bias and is an issue with much of the clinical research into the effectiveness of therapies.

Question 5

practical

Answer 5

family commitment:
- a further problem is that therapy relies heavily on the whole family being open and honest.
- this might be difficult for some members to cope with and can explain the high drop out rate.
- also in more extreme cases, the patient might be unable to cope with the pressures of having to discuss their ideas.
- this means that therapy is not always the most appropriate form of treatment if members find it too hard and don’t complete the course.

Question 6

effectiveness

Answer 6

• there is evidence to support effectiveness
  pharaoh et al 2003 reviewed 53 studies and found that family therapy is effective in reducing hospital readmissions over the course of a year and improved clinical outcomes such as mental state and social functioning.
  ca= despite this, the results of other studies are inconsistent and there were problems with some of the quality of evidence.
• one main effect that therapy has is increasing compliance to take meds.
  this suggests that overall, the evidence for effectiveness of family therapy alone is moderate at best.

Question 7

ethics

Answer 7

one issue could be that therapy might point the finger at certain members and place blame on them for their condition. it could result in parents feeling like they’ve failed. therefore, could be considered socially sensitive.