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Life events, relatives' Expressed Emotion and maintenance neuroleptics in schizophrenic relapse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Julian Leff ,
Liz Kuipers ,
Ruth Berkowitz ,
Christine Vaughn  and
David Sturgeon
Julian Leff*
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Friern Hospital, London; Schizophrenia Research Unit, Prestwick Hospital, Manchester; Department of Mental Health, University College, London
Liz Kuipers
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Friern Hospital, London; Schizophrenia Research Unit, Prestwick Hospital, Manchester; Department of Mental Health, University College, London
Ruth Berkowitz
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Friern Hospital, London; Schizophrenia Research Unit, Prestwick Hospital, Manchester; Department of Mental Health, University College, London
Christine Vaughn
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Friern Hospital, London; Schizophrenia Research Unit, Prestwick Hospital, Manchester; Department of Mental Health, University College, London
David Sturgeon
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Friern Hospital, London; Schizophrenia Research Unit, Prestwick Hospital, Manchester; Department of Mental Health, University College, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr J. P. Leff, MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Friern Hospital, Friern Barnet Road, London N11 3BP.
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Synopsis

Data from two studies, one naturalistic and the other a controlled trial, were analysed to clarify the relationships between independent life events, Expressed Emotion of a key relative, maintenance neuroleptics and the relapse of schizophrenia. It was found that patients in the community who are unprotected by medication are vulnerable either to acute stress in the form of life events or to chronic stress in the form of living with a high Expressed Emotion relative. Patients on regular medication are protected against one or other stress, but are very likely to relapse if the two forms of stress occur together. A model of schizophrenic susceptibility to environmental stress is constructed to incorporate these observations.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , November 1983 , pp. 799 - 806
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

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