AO1 - Family Therapy

• Family therapy is based on the idea that as family dysfunction can play a role in the development of schizophrenia, altering relationship and communication patterns within dysfunctional families should help schizophrenics to recover

  • It also works by reducing expressed emotion and stress levels within the family which may contribute to a patient's risk of relapse
• The main aim of family therapy is to reduce levels of expressed emotion by

  1. Improving families beliefs about behaviours towards schizophrenia
  2. Reduce the stress of caring for a relative of schizophrenia
  3. Decrease feelings of guilt and anger in family members
  4. Help family members achieve a balance between caring for the individual with schizophrenia and maintaining their own lives
• Therapists meet regularly with patients and family members over the course of around 9 months to a year and are encouraged to be open and talk about the patient's symptoms, behaviour and progress