Expressed emotion is a significant and robust predictor in schizophrenia. High expressed emotion in carers can exacerbate psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. More specifically, critical attitudes towards patients by family members have been associated to a higher risk of relapse in the patients.

The aim of the present communication is to report a case of a single 38-year-old woman with the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder since the age of 17 and to establish a correlation between her several relapses and hospitalizations and the high expressed emotion found in the family members with whom she has always lived.

Case report and review of the literature.

Similarly to this case report, several studies show that patients with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder from high expressed emotion households had been hospitalized more often and for longer periods than patients from low expressed emotion households.

High expressed emotion in carers is associated to an increased risk of relapse in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Family interventions should be focused on improving these interactions after a psychotic relapse.