One of the chief problems mentioned by the relatives of people suffering from schizophrenia is the difficulty in obtaining factual and practical advice. Many have struggled on for years, using trial-and-error methods, without knowing whether their lack of success was due to the immutable course of events, to ignorance, or to a deficiency in themselves of the ability to care. Some have made tentative enquiries but have been given a more or less polite brush-off. Although most relatives, like most sufferers, do eventually become aware of the diagnosis, it is rare for them to be given this information as part of a long-term plan of management which they are invited to share with professional staff and patient, and even more unusual for them to be told early in the course of the disorder.