Psychoeducation for patients with schizophrenia and their families

Abstract

In this review, the current evidence for the efficacy of psychoeducation, a nonpharmacological treatment strategy in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia and their families, is assessed by summarizing meta-analyses/reviews and important single studies published after the recent meta-analyses. It was found that psychoeducation for patients with schizophrenia and their families can reduce the relapse rates of these patients; long-term family interventions (i.e., with durations of more than 3 months) are particularly helpful. However, there are still unsolved questions in this area. Therefore, future research needs are a further focus of this review; for example, on the questions of how to adapt programs for stable outpatients and their families, and the minimum effective dose of psychoeducation. Finally, new approaches in the area of psychoeducation, such as including quality-of-life issues, offering psychoeducation formats for combined diagnoses, family and patient peer-to-peer programs, and focusing on gender aspects are discussed.

Keywords::

• caregiver
• family
• patient
• peer
• psychoeducation
• relative
• schizophrenia

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Christine Rummel-Kluge and Werner Kissling are authors of the Alliance Psychoeducation Program, which has been supported by Pfizer; the authors have received lecture/workshop honoraria and grants from Pfizer.

The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.