The national schizophrenia fellowship: A British self-help group

Summary

The National Schizophrenia Fellowship is a British self-help group whose clientele is composed mainly of parents of schizophrenics. In 1980, the NSF had 140 branches in the U. K. and a total membership of 3300 families. The major self-help activity centers around the monthly branch meetings which are of two general varieties: a guest speaker followed by discussion and meetings devoted to discussion of personal problems of members. Although schizophrenia sufferers are admitted to membership, they are a small minority and there appears to be some question as to whether the mix of parents and sufferers is a productive one. The survey of the branch membership indicated a predominance of parents of schizophrenia sufferers, mainly middle-aged, mainly female and mainly middle class. Members tend to join for an indefinite period and the average length of membership of present members is close to four years. The major purposes of the group are seen to be: to offer mutual support to the parents of schizophrenics; to gain information about the illness and to obtain practical advice and help with specific problems. Attitudes towards professionals in general and psychiatrists in particular were amibivalent. Psychiatrists were often identified as distant, uncommunicative and unhelpful figures with whom a positive relationship was difficult. On the other hand, about 60% of the respondents rated professionals as very useful or useful. Using a help-giving activity scale devised by Leon H. Levy (1979), group processes identified by the NSF members which most characterize their interaction were Empathy, Sharing, Self-disclosure, Explanation, Behavioral prescription, Encouragement of sharing, Justification, Behavioral proscription and Functional analysis. The emphasis in group interaction thus was on mutual support, cognitive analysis of problems and practical advice giving. Activities not characteristic of the group were confrontational, punitive and hostile tactics. Also eschewed were “psychotherapeutic” methods which bear the implication that the problem resides in the member rather than in his unfortunate circumstances, which is reasonable in view of the composition of the membership.