Family therapy

what is family therapy?

the name given to a range of interventions aimed at the family of someone with a mental disorder

how many sessions are involved in family therapy?

10+ sessions

what is family therapy combines iwth

anti-psychotics

what is the time period for family therapy?

3-12 months

what strategies are used in family therapy?

1. psychoeducation

2. reducing stress

3. alliance with family members

what is psychoeducation?

helping the person and their carers to understand adn be better able to deal with the illness

what is involved in reducing stress?

• skills to reduce emotional climate (anger and guilt)

• support to reduce burden of care

whats involved in alliance with family members?

• anticipate/prevent problems

• compliance with medication

• healthy boundries to stabilze family functioning

what was the procedure of pharoah’s study?

reviewed 53 studies to investigate the effectiveness of family intervention conducted in europe asia and north america

what dd the 53 studies compare?

the outcomes from family therapy to standard care alone

what were pharoah’s findings concentrated on?

• mental state

• compliance with medication

• spocial functioning

• reduction in relapse and readmission

what were P’s findings for mental state?

overall impression was mixed some studies reported an imptovemnt in the overla mental state of patients compared to those receiving standard care whereas others didn’t

what were P’s findings for social functioning?

although appearing to show some improvement on general functioning family intervention did not appear to have much of an effect on more concrete outcomes such as livingn independently or employment

what were P’s findings for reduction in relapse and readmission?

there was a reduction in the risk of relapse and a reduction in hospital admission during treatment and in the 24 months after

what was the problem with P’s study?

10/53 didn’t use binding raters were aware of the type of treatment recieved (family care or standard care) by the pps they were rating further 16 didnt mention binding had been used

why is binding problomatic?

problematic in studies with longer follow-ups where pps tend to unitentionaly reveal the type of therapy they had received

what did Lobban find?

60% of studies found benefits to family members

what was the limitation of Lobban’s study?

methodological problems which made comparisons difficult

what is a strength of Family therapy regarding cost?

had economic benefits, highly cost effective as it reduces relapse rates so patients are less likely to take up beds and resources

what are the ethical issues regarding family therapy?

family may feel blamed for Sz can mean that expressed emoption can increase and tension can rise making the treatment do the opposite of what it is meant to do (advice not punishment)

what did P’s study suggest?

the main benefit of this therapy is that is makes people more likely to comply with their medication regime, which leads to improvments in their mental state and social functioning