AO3

• Leff (1985) looked at the aftercare of patients who had been hospitalised with schizophrenia. Of those provided with standard outpatient care, 50% had relapsed within 9 months, compared to only 8% of those who received family therapy. After two years this had risen to 50% of those who received the therapy and 75% of those with standard outpatient care. This suggests that family therapy is helpful in reducing readmission in the short term, however families may not maintain positive behaviour patterns in the longer term.
• Also some families may not be willing to engage in family therapy, seeing it as needlessly interfering, or some family members may engage whilst others withdraw.
• This is not a cure for schizophrenia, but simply controls symptoms to reduce relapse and thus readmission.
• Pharoah (2010): Procedure

  • Reviewed 53 studies to investigate the effectiveness of family therapy
  • studies compared outcomes from family therapy to standard care (antipsychotic medication) alone
  • The researchers concentrated on studies that were randomised controlled trails
• Pharoah (2010): Findings

  • Mental state - some studies reported an improvement in the overall mental state of the patients compared to those receiving standard care
  • Compliance with medication - The use of family invention increases patients compliance with medication
  • social functioning - family therapy did not appear to have much of an effect on concrete outcomes such as living alone
  • Reduction in relapse rates and readmissions - There was a decrease in the risk of relapse and a reduction in hospital admissions in the 24 months after