Expressed Emotion and Relapse in First Episodes of Schizophrenia

Abstract

Re-analyses of data presented by Macmillan et al (1986b) challenge their conclusions that high expressed emotion is not prognostically significant for the course of schizophrenia or unrelated to the level of behavioural disturbance prior to admission. Several equally plausible models of causal relationships between EE and duration of untreated illness are presented. We conclude that our re-analyses of the Macmillan data do not warrant premature closure regarding the significance of the EE variable.