Family therapy Flashcards
(9 cards)
What do NICE recommend about family therapy?
Should be offered to ‘all individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia who are in contract with or live with family members’
When should family therapy be a priority?
Where there are persistent symptoms or a high risk of relapse
When are patients most likely to relapse?
When they live with families that expressed high criticism, hostility or over-involvement
What is the nature of family therapy?
Typically offered for a period 3-12 months and at least 10 sessions
Aimed at reducing levels of expressed emotion
Garety et al - estimate relapse rate for those who receive family therapy is 25% compared to 50% for those who do not
Provides family with info about schizophrenia, ways of supporting and resolving any practical problems
Aims to improve relationships
What were the procedures of Pharaoh et al study?
Reviewed 53 studies between 2002-2010 (in Europe, Asia and North America) investigating the effectiveness of family therapy by comparing it to standard care alone
What were the findings of Pharaoh et al study?
Those who received family therapy compared to those with standard care alone were:
Mental state - mixed
Compliance with medication - use of family intervention increased patients compliance
Social functioning - showed some improvement on general functioning, family intervention did not appear did appear to have much effect on more concrete outcomes such as living independently or employment
Reduction in relapse and readmission - reduction in risk of relapse/hospital admission during treatment
What processes are involved with family therapy?
psychoeducation - helping person + carers to understand and be better able to deal with the illness
forming an alliance
reducing emotional climate within the family
enhancing relatives ability to anticipate/solve problems
reducing expressions of anger and guilt
maintaining reasonable expectations
encouraging relatives to set appropriate limits
What are the economic benefits of family therapy?
Reduces costs of hospitalisation because of lower relapse rates associated with this form of intervention
Is family therapy worthwhile?
Garety - failed to show better outcomes for patients given family therapy compared to those who simply had carers
Most of the carers in this study displayed relatively low rates of expressed emotion - may reflect cultural changes in carers knowledge and attitudes towards schizophrenia
Not impactful for everyone
