Family-based care for people with schizophrenia

Family-based interventions may reduce the risk of relapse for people with schizophrenia by 34% at short-term follow-up, but the effect may not last long term. These interventions likely reduce caregiver burden and increase family members’ ability to shift from high to low expressed emotion. They might reduce hospital days in the short and medium term, but their impact on overall hospital admissions is uncertain. Family-based interventions can improve patients’ mental state, particularly positive symptoms and insight, and may increase functioning in the short and long term, but their effect on social functioning is minimal. For family members, these interventions likely improve social support and family functioning in the short term and may enhance caregiving competence.