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Effects of schizophrenia on patients' relatives

Department of Clinical Research, Crichton Royal Hospital, Dumfries DGI 4TG

EDITED BY MATTHEW HOTOPF

Tennakoon et al (2000) stated that their study is ‘one of the first’ to investigate burden among caregivers of people with first-episode psychosis. Their paper was published 13 years after our paper which covered much the same ground (The Scottish Schizophrenia Research Group, 1987) and which they did not mention.

We found, using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), that 24 (77%) of 31 main caregivers were categorised as ‘psychiatric cases’; this compares with 12% of caregivers in the Tennakoon et al study, which also used the GHQ. However, the relatives in our study were interviewed during the first week of the patients' first admission to hospital, and before the patients received antipsychotic medication. Tennakoon et al's patients could have been ill for up to 2 years and received up to 12 weeks of antipsychotic drugs — hardly ‘first-episode’.

In our 5-year follow-up study (The Scottish Schizophrenia Research Group, 1992), 14 of the 19 relatives who were still living with the patient were reassessed; 6 (43%) were still categorised as ‘cases’, using the GHQ. We concluded that a patient's illness had a considerable and continuing effect on his or her relatives.

REFERENCES

The Scottish Schizophrenia Research Group (1987) The Scottish First Episode Schizophrenia Study IV. Psychiatric and social impact on relatives. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 340-344.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

The Scottish Schizophrenia Research Group (1992) The Scottish First Episode Schizophrenia Study VIII. Five-year follow-up: clinical and psychosocial findings. British Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 496-500.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Tennakoon, L., Fannon, D., Doku, V., et al (2000) Experience of caregiving: relatives of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 177, 529-533.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

This Article Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McCreadie, R. G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by McCreadie, R. G.