The initiation and development of a group for relatives of patients with chronic emotional disorders

Abstract

This paper describes the initiation and development of an educa-The multidimensional role of other family members in the career of chronic mental patients has been studied and explored from a number of different positions. The identified patient has frequently been seen as the victim, deranged by the unintentional, but nevertheless pathological, influence of a so-called schizophrenic family. As sophistication increased, family members not only were viewed as agents of cause in precipitating the patient's initial break with reality, but were also assigned the additional stigma of responsibility for continuing to aggravate the patient's problems by their behavior