GROUP THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA: A REVIEW OF PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC APPROACHES AND RELATED PROBLEMS OF EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION

Psychotherapeutic groups are a regular component in the treatment of schizophrenia. The most popular empirically tested approaches are social skills groups, and psycho-educational, cognitive dysfunctions, and cognitive-behavioral approaches. In contrast, psychodynamic approaches have not yet been empirically investigated. Furthermore, there are several methodological problems concerning the examination of the therapeutic efficacy of group therapy with schizophrenic patients, e.g. the investigation of the specific effectiveness of the group component. There is a lack of empirical evidence on several aspects relevant to clinical practice, e.g. outcome predictors or structural characteristics of the therapy. The need to re-evaluate psychodynamic approaches and to investigate the therapeutic processes that are involved in groups with schizophrenic patients are emphasized.