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[Changes in the long-term psychosis following psychotherapy]
Psychiatria Clinica
|January 1, 1980
Summary
Bifocal family therapy significantly improved social functioning in schizophrenic patients compared to pharmacotherapy. However, underlying dynamic disturbances persisted, posing risks to new families and children.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychotherapy Research
- Longitudinal Studies
Context:
- Schizophrenia treatment outcomes.
- Comparison of therapeutic modalities.
- Vienna Psychiatric University Clinic (1949-1959) and Vienna Psychiatric Hospital (1970).
Purpose:
- To evaluate the long-term efficacy of bifocal family therapy for schizophrenia.
- To compare bifocal family therapy with pharmacotherapy in a control group.
- To assess social functioning and dynamic disturbances in treated schizophrenic patients.
Summary:
- A 20-year follow-up study compared bifocal family therapy (n=116) with routine pharmacotherapy for schizophrenia.
- Bifocal family therapy patients showed superior social outcomes (work, relationships, family) compared to the pharmacotherapy control group.
- Despite social success, psychotherapy patients exhibited persistent dynamic disturbances (instability, emptiness) linked to life history and partner choice.
Impact:
- Bifocal family therapy facilitates emancipation from situational distress in schizophrenia.
- Persistent dynamic disturbances remain a risk factor for the patient's new family and offspring.
- Highlights the need for continued support addressing underlying psychopathology in schizophrenia recovery.