As part of a long-term study in schizophrenia, a model of family intervention has been developed which attempts to diminish relapse rates of schizophrenic patients. This model reflects theoretical and research findings which suggest that certain patients have a "core psychological deficit" that might increase vulnerability to external stimuli. While a program of maintenance chemotherapy attempts to decreae patient vulnerability, a series of highly structured, supportive, psycho-educational family interventions are aimed at de-intensifying the family environment in which the patient lives.
While the long-term care of ambulatory schizophrenia patients requires highly effective interpersonal treatment skills among clinicians, there is little evidence to support an empirically validated individual psychotherapy of schizophrenia. Personal therapy (PT) attempts to address the apparent limitations of traditional psychotherapy by modifying the "model of the person" to accommodate an underlying pathophysiology, minimizing potential iatrogenic effects of maintenance antipsychotic medication, controlling sources of environmental provocation, and extending therapy to a time when crisis management has lessened and stabilization is better ensured. By means of graduated, internal coping strategies, PT attempts to provide a growing awareness of personal vulnerability, including the "internal cues" of affect dysregulation. The goals are to increase foresight through the accurate appraisal of emotional states, their appropriate expression, and assessment of the reciprocal response of others. The strategies are supplemented by phase-specific psychoeducation and behavior therapy techniques. Practical issues in the application of this new intervention are discussed. Preliminary observations from two samples of patients, one living with and the other living independent of family, suggest differential improvement over time among PT recipients.
Families can be a resource for the long‐term management of schizophrenia if they are given support and information. Before sacrificing these families on the altar of “expedient separation,” it would seem ethically if not scientifically imperative to maintain and support this primary resource for patients.
The aim of this study was to examine changes in levels of anger associated with a therapeutic theatre project. The population consisted of mentally disordered patients in a maximum security hospital, all of whom had a history of major violence. The subjects were being treated on a ward that specializes in psychotherapeutic interventions. Twelve young adult male patients, defined by structured interview for personality disorder and clinical diagnosis for mental illness, participated in a week-long dramatherapy project. They were evaluated using self-report questionnaires both before and after the week, as well as at three-month follow-up. Levels of anger significantly reduced from before to after the theatre week. This improvement was maintained at three-month follow-up. There was an associated increase in the frequency of attempts to control the expression of anger. It is concluded that a dramatherapy project within a psychotherapeutic environment may be an effective therapeutic modality for reducing anger levels in young mentally disordered offenders.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.