family therapy

• Family therapy is a psychological to treatment of schizophrenia that employs a range of interventions for family members with a individual with schizophrenia. This means that the risk of relapse can be reduced in patients as well as persistent symptoms. Family therapy aims to improve communication and interaction between family members. It does this through reducing high levels of negative emotion; high expressed emotion such as anger in families can trigger a relapse in a patient.
• The therapy also aims to improve family members understanding of schizophrenia and why therapy is important and thus ensure that members are achieving balance in their lives between caretaking and a normal routine of life. This allows any animosity towards the schizophrenic individual to be reduced and ensure they are getting the most effective familial support possible.
• A03

  +Pharoh et al conducted a meta-analysis of 53 studies, comparing family therapy with standard care. He found that there was a significant improvement in mental state for family therapy, however no improvement in social function. However, when combined with medication he concluded high effectiveness rates in improving social function after 24 months. 
• A03

  +One strength of family therapy is evidence for effectiveness. Mcfarlane concluded that family therapy is one of the most consistently effective treatments there is as relapse rates decreased by 50-60%. This thus led to NICE releasing clinical advice, recommending family therapy as a treatment for schizophrenia. This therefore highlights the validity of the study due to its widespread effectiveness of improving the quality of life for both family members and patients with schizophrenia; making family therapy a reliable treatment to use.
• A03

  +Another strength of family therapy is that it can benefit all family members. For example, members who provide the bulk of the care for schizophrenic family members can be given advice from therapists and help them maintain a balance between caregiving and maintaining a good quality of life. This therefore helps patients gain the best treatment possible through advice on how members should look after patient which lessens the negative impacts of schizophrenia which therefore reduces the chance of relapse or severe positive or negative symptoms.