Evaluation of Ongoing Participation of People with Schizophrenia in a Mutual Support Group as a Complementary Intervention to Outpatient Psychiatric Treatment

This study aims to evaluate a group of people with schizophrenia undergoing outpatient treatment and who participate in a mutual support intervention, compared to another group of people with the same diagnosis, but attending only the usual outpatient treatment. This is a prospective study, with two measurements between six months. The mutual support group was initially composed of 16 people and the treatment as usual group was composed of 15 people. Clinical (medication adherence and functioning) and Recovery (hope, well-being, recovery and internalized stigma) outcomes were assessed. Nonparametric tests were used to verify differences in measurements between groups and between two moments. A higher level of internalized stigma and a decrease in the adherence to drug treatment in the treatment as usual group were verified. When comparing the pre-post difference between groups, there was a greater increase in adherence to drug treatment in the mutual support group. Our data point to more favorable results in the mutual support group, showing that ongoing participation in these groups is an important tool for the recovery process and for the treatment itself.