Family therapy and the family physician

Abstract

The purpose of this research paper is to look at family therapy as a technique for dealing with emotional problems in family medicine. It consisted of a non-randomized cohort study utilizing the patients at McMaster University Clinic. There were 42 families involved in the study group and they were matched with a control group. The results indicated that patients treated by means of family therapy placed 50 percent fewer demands on the physician and clinic than patients in the control groups treated with medication and/or psychotherapy. It also revealed little difference in the mix of complaints and diagnoses before and after family therapy.The study looks at complaints before and after diagnosis, before and after treatment, and the frequency of visits as a means of indicating whether there has been some improvement in the patient. It is hoped by this technique to provide a very easy method of researching this type of problem in an active community practice.