A randomized controlled study of two styles of group patient education about schizophrenia

Objective: The therapeutic specificity of patient education about schizophrenia was investigated in a randomized controlled study comparing the effects of two styles of group educational intervention. Methods: Thirty-three adult inpatients with schizophrenia were assigned in a stratified random manner either to an experimental patient education group that used a didactic format to cover a range of topics on the characteristics and treatment of schizophrenia (N=16) or to a control group in which participants discussed their subjective experiences with schizophrenia and its treatment (N=17). Before and after the group interventions, participants responded to measures of knowledge about schizophrenia, insight into illness, and cognitions about medication intake. Results The two groups did not differ significantly in postintervention scores on measures. Conclusions: The benefits of patient education may not be due to specific active therapeutic educational ingredients but may be due instead to the presence of nonspecific treatment effects.