Schizophrenia Family Therapy

Dealing with a family member with a serious mental illness can be difficult. In order to make the transition from hospital to home as smooth as possible, many schizophrenia patients attend therapy with their families. Some family members may also attend their own support groups where they can talk with other people who are living with someone with schizophrenia.

Education about the illness is crucial for both patient and family member. Learning how to identify changes in the patient, how to communicate with the patient, and how to be supportive to the patient are all skills that can be taught in family therapy.

You have learned that schizophrenia patients who return to a high expressed emotion (EE) home are more likely to relapse than are patients who return to a low expressed emotion home. For this reason, support for relatives of schizophrenia patients can be helpful for patients with schizophrenia and their family members.

CASE MANAGEMENT

Schizophrenia affects all areas of people's lives, including where they live, who they live with, and how they pay their bills. For someone who is learning to live with mental illness, these simple tasks can become daunting, if not impossible. An important part of treatment for schizophrenia involves providing a support person to help with all these basic needs. A case manager is someone who helps schizophrenia patients with housing, social support, and treatment.

Case managers are experts on community resources. They are familiar with housing options for people with mental illness and can refer homeless patients to shelters, halfway houses, and residential treatment programs. Many schizophrenia patients need to apply for government support such as Social Security Disability Income. A case manager can help provide and complete the necessary paperwork so that a patient is able to receive financial support. Case managers become an essential part of treatment once a patient has left the hospital. Patients are encouraged to check in with their case manager, who, in turn, monitors the patient's treatment and progress.

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