Statutory mental health services and support for families with schizophrenia - Literature review Example

Download file to see previous pages... It is evident from the study that the two modes of intervention are among four types of psychological interventions that were identified by the literature search to have been tested using randomized controlled trials---the other two are social skills training and cognitive remediation. Based on meta-analysis, the study of Pilling et al. showed that “family therapy, in particular single family therapy, had clear preventative effects on the outcomes of psychotic relapse and readmission, in addition to benefits in medication and compliance.” On the other hand, again based on a meta-analysis, cognitive behavioural therapy resulted to improvements in mental states and is correlated with low drop out rates. The most important content of the study of Pilling et al., however, is its conclusion that “family interventions should be offered to people with schizophrenia who are in contact with carers” while cognitive behavioural therapy may be applied to “those with treatment resistant symptoms.” Although Pilling et al. carefully qualified that their findings must be validated through “large trials across a variety of patients,” the Pilling et al. findings indicate nevertheless a good role for family interventions. This is especially so given “that pharmacological treatment on its own is rarely sufficient for the best outcome” in managing schizophrenia. According to Pilling et al., it has been generally held that “a significant proportion of patients, perhaps up to 40%, have a poor response to antipsychotic medication and continue to show moderate to severe psychotic symptoms.”


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Knudson & Coyle (2002, p. 3) defined the “positive” symptoms of schizophrenia as the “florid manifestations” like hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorder as distinct from the negative symptoms such as “deficits in functioning” like isolation and withdrawal. According to Knudson & Coyle (2002, p. 3), “the negative symptoms are more persistent across time, do not respond well to medication.” Pilling et al. (2002, p. 764) enlightened that the modern treatment for schizophrenia is founded on “the impact of the social environment on mental illness.” Citing various authors, Pilling et al. (2002) said that modern treatments of schizophrenia use the concept of “expressed emotion” and the stresses the need for the family’s role in promoting “expressed emotions.” It follows that there is strong need for the family, especially the parents, to be supported well in caring for their family member who is diagnosed with schizophrenia. Support for parents of schizophrenic implies that there is strong need as well for the parents of schizophrenic to be supported emotionally. Using qualitative research techniques, Knudson & Coyle (2002) interviewed eight parents of people with schizophrenia in the United Kingdom and found that “support from social networks and mental health services were generally perceived to have been lacking” (p. 2). However, “both informational and emotional support were available from self-help groups for relatives/carers” (Knudson & Coyle 2002, p. 2). According to Knudson & Coyle (2002), their findings are significant on family members with schizophrenics to take care of because “60% of individuals with schizophrenia continue to live with their relatives, mostly ...Download file to see next pagesRead More