Obraz brzemienia rodziny z osobą chorą na schizofrenię
Family burden in schizophrenia

Summary/Abstract: Scientific interest in the families of schizophrenic people has had a history of its own. In 1940’s, the family was considered to be the main factor responsible for the illness. Blaming the family was later replaced by accusing it of causing relapses. Genetic theories which are being propagated currently do not seem to solve the problem either, as the parents may feel guilty for their genetic load. With the course of time, it has become clear that the family bears the material, emotional and social consequences of the disease, and the responsibility of providing care for the ill has been termed “family burden”. This stance gave birth to various tendencies aimed at helping and supporting the families of people with schizophrenia. The objective of this article is to demonstrate the difficulty and complexity of families providing care for a family member with schizophrenia. The article consists of 2 parts: the first one outlines the general family functioning in families providing care for a family member with schizophrenia and the second one aims at characterizing the burden and related factors.

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