BEHAVIORAL FAMILY MANAGEMENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - OUTCOME OF A CLINIC-BASED INTERVENTION

To test further the highly successful outcomes of a controlled study o f in-home behavioural family management (BFM) for schizophrenic patien ts, a clinic-based version of this intervention was compared with cust omary care alone for 41 schizophrenic patients in a Veterans Administr ation (VA) mental health clinic. Monthly Brief Psychiatric Rating Scal e (BPRS) ratings, conducted by clinic psychiatrists who were 'blind' t o the patients' assignment, revealed that 3 (14%) patients who receive d behavioural family management as well as customary care, as compared with 11 (55%) patients who received customary care alone, had symptom atic exacerbations during the first year of treatment.