Mothers of schizophrenic patients: medical and psychological aspects of the problem

Abstract

Thus, we can talk about the obvious mutual influence between a child with schizophrenia and his mother. On the one hand, it can be manifested in the form of the fact that a certain number of personal characteristics of the mother is accompanied by the formation of high rates of schizoid and neurotic child. Of course, the presence of a certain psychological type of mother (as the only reason) is not enough for the emergence and development of schizophrenia, but the subsequent development of the child’s personal disorders, as a borderline between the norm and pathology, can already be the ground for the development of the disease in the presence of other more significant causes (for example, hereditary). On the other hand, the disease of the child can be a significant stress factor for the mother, leading to the formation of her manifestations of emotional stress and psychological maladjustment, which, in turn, can adversely affect not only the features of her relationship with the child, but also on the features of the course of his disease. The mechanisms of formation of such a «vicious circle» are poorly studied even theoretically, not to mention the fact that in routine psychiatric practice these issues do not fall into the focus of the psychiatrist’s attention, are not taken into account in the development of therapy strategy. However, the parameters of interaction between mother and child, the level of their mutual empathy, can be important for the formation of compliance in the treatment of schizophrenia, as the «conductor» of therapy in relation to a small patient is the mother. There is also no doubt that the level of mental health of the mother is an important resource for maintaining the viability of the whole family system and, in particular, a necessary condition for the organization of adequate therapy for a child with schizophrenia. Therefore, the study of the issues of mutual influence of the patient with schizophrenia and his mother, the development of ways to correct the problems arising in this case are an important scientific and practical task of modern psychiatry.