A Case Report of Schizophrenia Client with Multiple Episodes: An Eclectic Family Therapy Approach

Abstract

Eugen Bleuler was a Swiss psychiatrist who introduced the term schizophrenia, meaning “splitting of the mind. Schizophrenia is a severe form of psychological disorder that encompasses what most of us have come to know as “madness.” It is also called cancer of mental illness. Although researchers are probing the psychological and biological foundations of this psychotic disorder, the disorder remains a mystery. Schizophrenia is the most common mental disorder affecting perception, cognition, thinking, and behavior. Although the way it manifests varies from patient to patient, its effects are typically severe and persistent. As a result of the disease's chronic nature, family members and carers are also impacted. This social casework report details the difficulties in treating and managing a man with repeated episodes and disrupted family functioning. Although medication is the mainstay of treatment for this condition, social casework based on a structural family therapy approach, family psycho-education, behavior modification techniques, social skills, coping, and supportive work with family members can also be helpful. A home-based rehabilitation program was developed to relieve the burden on the carers. It shows the fruitful results of individual and family intervention with a person using structural, behavioral, psycho-educational, and rehabilitative approaches and methods after several sessions and telephone follow-ups. As a result, the family could recognize its issues, develop solutions, and put those answers into practice.