Major review backs family interventions for schizophrenia

People with schizophrenia are more likely to suffer a relapse if they come from families where they experience high levels of criticism and hostility and where family members blame themselves for the sufferer's illness. There are a number of ways in which psychologists and health professionals try to reduce these emotions but their effectiveness has not been proven. A team of researchers led by Fiona Pharaoh from Oxford and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust reviewed 53 trials of these techniques involving a total of 4,708 patients. They found that family interventions led to a reduction in relapses, significantly reduced hospital admissions, improved patients' social functioning and encouraged them to take their medication.