The supreme goal of all therapeutic interventions lies in
the boosting of empowerment of the afflicted and their
families.8 In order that the patients are able to tackle their
illness in as optimal a way as possible, they must rapidly
develop a basic comprehension of the background of
schizophrenia and the treatment options which are currentlyavailable.
Withouttheestablishmentofadifferential
understanding of the illness and resulting insight, complianceandimprovementin
coping, long-termandsuccessful
cooperation withprofessional auxiliary systems isdoomed
to remain suboptimal. It is only from an informed position
that the afflicted are able, with support from the 3 integral
professional branches of treatment, to fully enfold their
self-help potential: pharmacotherapeutic measures to
reduce the neurofunctional filter deficit within the limbic
system, resulting information processing disorders and
subsequent psychotic symptoms; psychotherapeutic
measures to extend the repertoire of coping strategies
available to the patients and their relatives; and psychosocial
measures to reduce general stressors and build up supportive
auxiliary systems in order to compensate for
illness-induced reductions in stress resilience.9,10
The formulation of a functional concept of illness