Family Psychoeducation for Serious Mental Illness

Abstract

This book gives an overview of family psychoeducation as an evidence-based psychosocial treatment for schizophrenia and other major psychiatric disorders. Family psychoeducation has produced a robust body of research indicating significant, sustained reductions in patients' relapse and rehospitalization rates and improvements in families' wellbeing. Converging with historical changes in mental health systems, the empirical findings and new theoretical approaches that produced this treatment modality are described. Responsive to research data and expressed informational needs of families of persons with severe mental illness, psychoeducational models were developed by major research centers in the U.S., the U.K., and other European countries, and in China. The book presents theoretical premises and a research overview, together with descriptions of model programs and long-range outcomes. Psychoeducation for prodromal, first-episode, and child and adolescents interventions are discussed as well as for diverse diagnoses and special populations. Cross-cultural and international studies are presented, with a focus on uniformities and cultural variations. Briefer versions of family education, now widely utilized, are then discussed, including research findings of efficacy. Generic components are presented together with a discussion of variations. Training models and issues, and required competencies, are presented. Contemporary applications of family psychoeducation in American and European mental health systems are described, with research on barriers to implementation and suggested solutions. A critical assessment of unresolved issues is followed by a discussion of future trends in families' involvement in the treatment process. An Appendix provides information on family organizations and other selected resources for families in various countries throughout the world, as well as useful materials for service providers.