Family psychoeducation for schizophrenia: a clinical review

Family psychoeducation is an integral part of schizophrenia treatment programmes. Recent shifts to briefer hospitalization and an emphasis on community care have emphasized the significance of relative education in this phase of treatment. Psychoeducational family programs designed to increase medication compliance and effectiveness in coping with stressors have been successful in reducing the risk of relapse in the first year following hospital discharge. They are aimed to provide correct information about the illness, treatments available and long term course and prognosis of the disease. Over the last three decades various models and different types of family psychoeducation programmes have been implemented to empower relatives of patients with schizophrenia. In the present paper different models for family intervention are discussed and their strengths and weaknesses evaluated