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Psychophysiological Responses of Schizophrenic Patients to High and Low Expressed Emotion Relatives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

David Sturgeon
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, School of Medicine, University College, London WC1
Liz Kuipers
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5
Ruth Berkowitz
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5
Graham Turpin
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5
Julian Leff
Affiliation:
MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5

Summary

Measurements of spontaneous fluctuations in skin conductance in 20 acutely ill schizophrenic patients were made in a video-tape studio. Recordings were made initially with the patient talking to an interviewer, then during a video-taped interview conducted with the patient's key relative. The Expressed Emotion (EE) of the patient's key relative had been measured previously. Significant differences in the type of spontaneous fluctuation activity between patients who had low EE and high EE relatives were demonstrated when the relative was present, but not when the relative was absent. The findings were not related to phenothiazine medication.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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