Family expressed emotion: concepts, dilemmas and the Israeli perspective

Family characteristics of high "expressed emotion" (EE) have been found to be predictive of relapse in schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. A causal relationship has been postulated between relapse and components of EE as assessed in the relatives with whom the patient has close social contact. Recently, conceptual and methodological aspects of the EE paradigm have become the focus of controversy. We present the dilemmas under debate and discuss the implications relevant to the study of EE in Israel.