This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy of psychological interventions for schizophrenia, focusing on family intervention and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The study includes a wide range of randomized controlled trials and compares these interventions against standard care and other active treatments. Key findings include: 1. **Family Intervention**: - **Preventive Effects**: Family therapy, particularly single-family therapy, significantly reduces psychotic relapse and readmission rates, as well as improves medication compliance. - **Heterogeneity**: Single-family interventions show greater benefits compared to group family interventions. - **Long-term Benefits**: Single-family interventions are effective in reducing relapse and readmission rates up to 2 years after treatment initiation. - **Other Outcomes**: Family interventions do not increase suicide rates or burden on family members, but they do improve medication compliance. 2. **Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)**: - **Mental State Improvement**: CBT leads to higher rates of 'important improvement' in mental state and positive effects on continuous measures of mental state at follow-up. - **Dropout Rates**: CBT has lower dropout rates compared to standard care. - **No Impact on Relapse/Readmission**: CBT does not show significant effects on relapse or readmission rates during treatment. - **Follow-up Benefits**: CBT continues to show positive effects on mental state up to 9 months after treatment. **Conclusions**: - **Family Intervention**: Should be offered to people with schizophrenia who are in contact with carers, especially single-family interventions. - **CBT**: May be useful for those with treatment-resistant symptoms, but further large-scale trials are needed to confirm these findings. - **Future Research**: Needs to explore the optimal duration and frequency of interventions, as well as the specific patient and family characteristics that influence outcomes.This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy of psychological interventions for schizophrenia, focusing on family intervention and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The study includes a wide range of randomized controlled trials and compares these interventions against standard care and other active treatments. Key findings include: 1. **Family Intervention**: - **Preventive Effects**: Family therapy, particularly single-family therapy, significantly reduces psychotic relapse and readmission rates, as well as improves medication compliance. - **Heterogeneity**: Single-family interventions show greater benefits compared to group family interventions. - **Long-term Benefits**: Single-family interventions are effective in reducing relapse and readmission rates up to 2 years after treatment initiation. - **Other Outcomes**: Family interventions do not increase suicide rates or burden on family members, but they do improve medication compliance. 2. **Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)**: - **Mental State Improvement**: CBT leads to higher rates of 'important improvement' in mental state and positive effects on continuous measures of mental state at follow-up. - **Dropout Rates**: CBT has lower dropout rates compared to standard care. - **No Impact on Relapse/Readmission**: CBT does not show significant effects on relapse or readmission rates during treatment. - **Follow-up Benefits**: CBT continues to show positive effects on mental state up to 9 months after treatment. **Conclusions**: - **Family Intervention**: Should be offered to people with schizophrenia who are in contact with carers, especially single-family interventions. - **CBT**: May be useful for those with treatment-resistant symptoms, but further large-scale trials are needed to confirm these findings. - **Future Research**: Needs to explore the optimal duration and frequency of interventions, as well as the specific patient and family characteristics that influence outcomes.