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A Controlled Trial of Social Intervention in the Families of Schizophrenic Patients: Two Year Follow-up

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Julian Leff
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Outstation: Friern Hospital, Friern Barnet Road, London N11
Liz Kuipers
Affiliation:
District Services Centre, Maudsley Hospital, London SE5
Ruth Berkowitz
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, University College London and Research Psychologist, MRC Social Psychiatry Unit
David Sturgeon
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, School of Medicine, University College, London WC1

Summary

The two-year follow-up results are reported of a trial of social intervention in families of schizophrenic patients in high social contact with high-expressed emotion (EE) relatives. For those patients who remained on antipsychotic medication throughout the two years, the social intervention significantly reduced the relapse rate. In those experimental families where relatives' EE and/or face-to-face contact was lowered, the relapse rate was 14%, compared with 78% for control patients on regular medication (P = 0.02).

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1985 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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