Features of intrafamily interaction in the first psychotic episode in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

The study investigated negative impact of initial course of first episode psychosis on the family communication. The group including 51 patients and meeting criteria for schizophrenia and associated disorders according to ICD-10 with the first episode psychosis (first 5 years after onset of the illness) was treated within pharmacotherapy without psychosocial interventions and multi-family group therapy. For each patient at least one caregiver (the overall number was 53 key relatives) who provided support was recruited into the study. The assessment process of relatives was done with original semi-structured interview, which evaluated the impact of illness on family communication, multiple choice questionnaire of general awareness of psychiatric illness & schedule of family burden. The study identified the significant role of the clinical characteristics of the first episode to the family dysfunction and the level of expressed emotions. At the same time such family dysfunctions showed positive changes after family-focused psychosocial treatment. The results validated the data of clinical outcome improvement by family interventions in the first episode psychosis patient’s treatment.