Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Corso di laurea in infermieristica - Sede di Modena

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder, characterized by the presence of delusions, hallucinations, disturbances of thought, perception and behavior that cause physical, psychological and social consequences to the person. Patients with schizophrenia can recover and improve their quality of life thanks to an integrated approach involving pharmacotherapy, psychosocial interventions and attention to environmental contexts. Psycho-education is a non-pharmacological intervention, often offered to users and their families, carried out by the nursing health staff, which aims to improve knowledge of the disorder, awareness of the effects of the disease and the treatment. Psycho-education also aims to break down stigma and encourage coping strategies. The involvement of the family allows reducing tension and facilitate communication. For this reason, psycho-education is a relevant intervention to promote the recovery of users suffering from schizophrenia. This work aims to deepen the importance of psycho-education for patients suffering from schizophrenia and their families. Specifically, to investigate the benefits that a psychoeducational intervention can bring to users with schizophrenia, the advantages and disadvantages of including the family within the treatment. Furthermore, this work aims to deepen the role of the nurse in this intervention and the therapeutic relationship that is created with the patient. Psycho-education intervention for the user improves awareness of the disease and treatment, also improving adherence to therapy. To prevent the relapse of schizophrenia, the patient has to be informed and about the importance of antipsychotic therapy and about its side effects, education on early signs of crisis and coping strategies to deal with daily stressors is also very important.