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Relatives and their attitude to early detection of schizophrenic psychosis

Psychiatric University Hospital, Social Psychiatric Research Unit, Militärstrasse 8, PO Box 1930, CH-8021 Zurich, Switzerland

Declaration of interest

None.

AIMS AND METHOD

To assess the attitudes of relatives of patients with psychosis to early diagnosis, the respective consequences and to specialised out-patient services for early detection, we undertook a postal questionnaire survey.

RESULTS

Eighty-five per cent of the respondents (n=200) would have visited a specialised out-patient service for early detection and 79% would have preferred to find out the diagnosis earlier. Some consequences of an early diagnosis (facing the problems associated with the illness earlier, having more appropriate behaviour towards the affected, earlier contact with other relatives and earlier treatment) are frequently mentioned.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Being favourable to both early diagnosis of psychosis and specialised out-patient services, most relatives are a useful source of support for professionals in convincing patients of diagnostic procedures and treatment.