The role of family therapy in the management of schizophrenia: challenges and solutions

Abstract

Alejandra Caqueo-Urízar,1,* Mar Rus-Calafell,2,* Alfonso Urzúa,3 Jorge Escudero,1 José Gutiérrez-Maldonado4 1Departamento de Filosofía y Psicología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile; 2Department of Social Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK; 3Alfonso Urzúa Morales, Escuela de Psicología, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile; 4Departamento de Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamientos Psicológicos, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain *These authors have contributed equally to this work Abstract: Family interventions for schizophrenia have been amply demonstrated to be effective and are recommended by most of the international clinical guidelines. However, their implementation in the clinical setting as well as in treatment protocols of patients with psychosis has not been fully achieved yet. With the increasing deinstitutionalization of patients, family has begun to assume the role of care performed by psychiatric hospitals, with a high emotional cost for caregivers as well as the recognition of burden experiences. Families have been the substitute in the face of the scarcity of therapeutic, occupational, and residential resources. For this reason, the viability of patients’ care by their families has become a challenge. This article aims to discuss the most important aspects of family interventions, their impact on families, and the most important challenges that need to be overcome in order to achieve well-being and recovery in both patients and caregivers. Keywords: family intervention, schizophrenia, caregivers, quality of life, therapy