A clinician with a family member with schizophrenia: a case report

Clinicians who treat persons with schizophrenia often disagree with their patient's family about the etiology, treatment, and prognosis of the illness. Traditionally, such discrepancies have been a source of major tension and misunderstanding. The author reports a case that illustrates how a clinician, who herself had a family member with schizophrenia, became better able to bridge the gap in conceptual and empathic understanding that is often apparent between clinicians and families of schizophrenic patients. This clinician's personal views regarding the etiology, treatment, and prognosis of her schizophrenic family member are examined. Parallels are also drawn between the views of this clinician-family member and the current research on family acceptance patterns of the illness.