[Psychoeducation of families of adolescent patients]

The paper presents the preliminary observations concerning the attitudes manifested by the families of adolescents diagnosed as psychotic and admitted to psychoeducation group. The above group was characterized by the high level of expressed emotion and, what is even more important, by the attempt to deny the presence of the illness and by the fear of stigmatization. The last two factors proved particularly relevant for realization of the therapeutic programme, and were often instrumental in individual decisions to leave the group. In the course of psychoeducation of adolescents' families the therapeutic programme should be geared to the actual needs of the group.