AO3

• A positive of family therapy is that it may also improve the outcomes for family members and not just the schizophrenic individual

  -Lobban (2013) analysed results of 50 family studies and found 60% of these reported a significant positive impact for at least one family member, for example coping skills, family functioning and relationships.
• However, researchers reported

  -methodological quality was generally poor making it difficult to distinguish cause and effect.
• One limitation is that family therapy can be time-consuming, expensive, and logistically difficult to organise

  -as all family members need to attend sessions.

  This may reduce its accessibility, particularly for families with complex schedules or strained relationships. As a result, it might not be a practical solution for every case, even if it is theoretically beneficial.
• A strength is Family therapy views problems as arising from interactions within the family system, rather than just individual pathology.

  -This holistic approach can lead to more effective outcomes because changing family communication patterns and relationships can reduce symptoms for everyone involved, not just the identified patient.

  -this leads to less conflict and improves emotional wellbeing across the family.
• A weakness is that Garety (2008) failed to show any better outcomes for patients given family therapy when compared to no family therapy (but had carers)

  -Both groups had low rates of relapse compared to a ‘no carer’ group

  -Researchers also found that carers in the study displayed low levels of EE which may reflect a cultural change in carer’s knowledge and attitudes about SZ.

  -Garety suggests that for many people family intervention may not improve outcomes more than good standard treatment.
• This means that

  -Family therapy per se may not benefit individuals, it may be that having access to a supportive network that have low EE is the crucial element
• A strength is that In support of the effectiveness of family therapy Tarrier et al (1994) found relapse rates 8 years following family intervention

  -was 67% compared to 88% of those having standard medication in a sample of 83 SZ patients

  -Therefore, demonstrating the effectiveness of family therapy as a treatment for SZ.