The influence of familial loading on the course of schizophrenic symptoms and the success of psychoeducational therapy

This prospective study examines the influence of familial loading on the co urse of schizophrenic illness and the extent to which this is modifiable by psychoeducational training as a form of psychotherapy. 182 schizophrenic p atients enrolled in the study were allocated at random into four different treatment groups and one control group. 40% of the patients had mentally il l relatives, 20% with some form of schizophrenia. Patients attending the tr eatment group and those in the control group were examined before and immed iately after psychoeducational training and at 2-year and 5-year follow-ups . Control group patients with mentally ill relatives displayed a significan t increase in psychopathological symptoms and rehospitalization rate compar ed to those without. The psychoeducational training arrested or even improv ed the increase in psychopathological symptoms in patients with mentally il l relatives. Familial loading contributes substantially to a high rehospita lization rate and a poor outcome in schizophrenic patients. Psychoeducation al interventions are an appropriate means of arresting this unfavorable dev elopment. Copyright (C) 2001 S.Karger AG, Basal.