Submitted by Rosina Valeria Lanzellotti Mattiussi Teixeira (rosina.teixeira@unisantos.br) on 2015-04-08T19:25:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Claudia Viviane de Castro.pdf: 178797 bytes, checksum: 1f498c465e5c6ddf6e72268f4d7d5495 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-08T19:25:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Claudia Viviane de Castro.pdf: 178797 bytes, checksum: 1f498c465e5c6ddf6e72268f4d7d5495 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-17 / Despite the low prevalence in the general population ( 0,5% to 1,0% ) , psychotic disorders represent high burden on society. These individuals require continuous depending on the severity and persistence of symptoms care, and these are not always available in the communities. Objective: To identify subjects with psychotic disorder within the population registered in the Health Unit Family Neighborhood Perequê city of Guaruja /SP and evaluate their use of the public health service available. Method: It is a cross-sectional study in two subsequent steps. In the first step, a questionnaire (SRQ - 30) was applied to 527 subjects between men and women older than 15 years, enrolled in the 12 team of the Family Health Unit Perequê neighborhood. Subjects with 03 or 04 positive responses to symptoms of psychosis (questions 21, 22, 23, 24) in this first stage, answered the clinical interview (LCRF) with information on the use they make of the public health service. Results: In the first stage, 51.4 % had at least one of the positive responses to psychotic disorder and 8.5 % (n = 45) had 03 or more positive responses. Of these, 34 participated in the second stage, mostly women, in a stable relationship with characteristics of low educational level, with an unemployment rate of 38,2 % and 85 % with per capita income up to minimum wage. Note - if current low use of specialized mental health services (5.9%), with an increased frequency of consultations with the general practitioner, either in PS or UBS. Fifty -nine percent of the subjects do not have or do not know their diagnosis, 50 % are drug treatment, most initiated by psychiatrist. There were 11,8% of cases of admissions to psychiatric hospital and 11,8 % of cases of suicide attempts. Conclusion: The study population has a high prevalence of subjects with psychotic symptoms of mental disorder and preferably seeking care in emergency rooms or primary care unskilled. This result reflects the lack of specialized mental health services and reinforces the importance of the preparation of the general practitioner and the whole team of family health for case identification, monitoring, family support and as a facilitator of social inclusion. / Apesar da baixa prevalência na população geral (de 0,5% a 1,0%), os transtornos psicóticos representam elevada sobrecarga para a sociedade. Estes indivíduos necessitam de cuidados contínuos em função da gravidade e persistência dos sintomas, e estes nem sempre estão disponíveis nas comunidades. Objetivo: Identificar sujeitos portadores de sintomas para transtorno psicótico dentro da população cadastrada na Unidade de Saúde da Família do Bairro Perequê, cidade de Guarujá/SP e avaliar o uso que fazem do serviço público de saúde disponível. Método: É um estudo de corte transversal em duas etapas subsequentes. Na primeira etapa, foi aplicado um questionário (SRQ-30) a 527 sujeitos entre homens e mulheres maiores de 15 anos, cadastrados na equipe 12 da Unidade de Saúde da Família do bairro Perequê. Os sujeitos que apresentaram 03 ou 04 respostas positivas para sintomas de transtorno psicótico (questões 21, 22, 23, 24) nesta primeira etapa, responderam a entrevista clínica (LCRF) com informações sobre o uso que estes fazem do serviço público de saúde. Resultado: Na primeira etapa, 51,4% apresentaram ao menos uma das respostas positivas para transtorno psicótico e 8,5% (n=45) apresentaram 03 ou mais respostas positivas. Destes, 34 participaram da segunda etapa, em sua maioria mulheres, em união estável, com características de baixo grau de escolaridade, com índice de desemprego de 38,2% e 85% deles com renda per capita até um salário mínimo. Nota-se utilização atual baixa dos serviços especializados em saúde mental (5,9%), sendo a maior frequência em consultas com o clínico geral, seja em PS ou UBS. Cinquenta e nove por cento dos sujeitos não têm ou não conhece sua hipótese diagnóstica, 50% fazem tratamento medicamentoso, a maioria iniciado por psiquiatra. Houve 11,8% de casos de internações em hospital psiquiátrico e 11,8% de casos de tentativas de suicídio. Conclusão: A população estudada apresenta elevada prevalência de sujeitos com sintomas para transtorno psicóticos e buscaram preferencialmente atendimento médico em pronto socorro ou em atenção básica não especializada. Este resultado reflete uma dificuldade na continuidade do acompanhamento a esses pacientes por parte dos serviços especializados em saúde mental e reforça a importância do preparo do clínico geral e de toda a equipe de saúde da família para suprir essa necessidade, auxiliando na identificação de caso, acompanhamento, suporte familiar e como facilitadora da inserção social.

<p>The aim of this thesis was to critically examine the current use of the Camberwell Assessment of Need (CAN) in outcome assessment for service evaluation. A further aim was to propose a metric for assessing the adequacy of community mental health services in meeting ongoing needs over longer stretches of time.</p><p>We made four prospective follow-up studies of CAN assessments of patients with severe mental illness in community-based mental health care.</p><p>A factor analysis (n=741) gave support for a three-factor model, comprising only 60% of the CAN items. Need assessments (n= 92) in 1997 and 2003 were compared at both the summed total and the underlying item levels of the CAN. The mean total scores did not change, yet there were significant changes in the underlying items. Changes in mean number of needs between 1997 and 1999 were measured (n=262) with both total scores, summed over all CAN items, and with sub-total scores, summed over two sets of items reflecting the social services and the psychiatric services respectively. As indicated by the sub-total scores, all significant changes occurred within the psychiatric services, a result not possible to discern from the total scores. The Met Needs Index (MNI), defined by us as the aggregate measure of beneficial outcome, indicated that needs in general were met during 71% of the intervals between the annuals assessments from 1997 through 2004. However, the variation among particular items was large.</p><p>In conclusion, the summary scores typically used as outcome measures are likely to conceal meaningful variation at the item level. Nevertheless, sub-total scores, being more transparent, might be more useful in outcome assessment. The MNI is a continuous, normally distributed metric, estimable over any number of consecutive assessments, which seems suitable for assessing the achieved benefit of services for patients with long-term ongoing needs.</p>

The aim of this thesis was to critically examine the current use of the Camberwell Assessment of Need (CAN) in outcome assessment for service evaluation. A further aim was to propose a metric for assessing the adequacy of community mental health services in meeting ongoing needs over longer stretches of time. We made four prospective follow-up studies of CAN assessments of patients with severe mental illness in community-based mental health care. A factor analysis (n=741) gave support for a three-factor model, comprising only 60% of the CAN items. Need assessments (n= 92) in 1997 and 2003 were compared at both the summed total and the underlying item levels of the CAN. The mean total scores did not change, yet there were significant changes in the underlying items. Changes in mean number of needs between 1997 and 1999 were measured (n=262) with both total scores, summed over all CAN items, and with sub-total scores, summed over two sets of items reflecting the social services and the psychiatric services respectively. As indicated by the sub-total scores, all significant changes occurred within the psychiatric services, a result not possible to discern from the total scores. The Met Needs Index (MNI), defined by us as the aggregate measure of beneficial outcome, indicated that needs in general were met during 71% of the intervals between the annuals assessments from 1997 through 2004. However, the variation among particular items was large. In conclusion, the summary scores typically used as outcome measures are likely to conceal meaningful variation at the item level. Nevertheless, sub-total scores, being more transparent, might be more useful in outcome assessment. The MNI is a continuous, normally distributed metric, estimable over any number of consecutive assessments, which seems suitable for assessing the achieved benefit of services for patients with long-term ongoing needs.

Background. The reported link between psychological trauma and onset of psychosis remains controversial. Aims. To examine associations between self-reported psychological trauma and psychotic symptoms as a function of prior evidence of vulnerability to psychosis (psychosis proneness). Method. At baseline, 2524 adolescents aged 14-24 years provided self-reports on psychological trauma and psychosis proneness, and at follow-up (on average 42 months later) participants were interviewed for presence of psychotic symptoms. Results. Self-reported trauma was associated with psychotic symptoms, in particular at more severe levels (adjusted OR1.89,95% CI1.16-3.08) and following trauma associated with intense fear, helplessness or horror. The risk difference between those with and without self-reported trauma at baseline was 7% in the group with baseline psychosis proneness, but only 1.8% in those without (adjusted test for difference between these two effect sizes: χ2=4.6, P=0.032). Conclusions. Exposure to psychological trauma may increase the risk of psychotic symptoms in people vulnerable to psychosis.

Background The base rate of transition from subthreshold psychotic experiences (the exposure) to clinical psychotic disorder (the outcome) in unselected, representative and non-help-seeking population-based samples is unknown. Method A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted of representative, longitudinal population-based cohorts with baseline assessment of subthreshold psychotic experiences and follow-up assessment of psychotic and non-psychotic clinical outcomes. Results Six cohorts were identified with a 3–24-year follow-up of baseline subthreshold self-reported psychotic experiences. The yearly risk of conversion to a clinical psychotic outcome in exposed individuals (0.56%) was 3.5 times higher than for individuals without psychotic experiences (0.16%) and there was meta-analytic evidence of dose–response with severity/persistence of psychotic experiences. Individual studies also suggest a role for motivational impairment and social dysfunction. The evidence for conversion to non-psychotic outcome was weaker, although findings were similar in direction. Conclusions Subthreshold self-reported psychotic experiences in epidemiological non-help-seeking samples index psychometric risk for psychotic disorder, with strong modifier effects of severity/persistence. These data can serve as the population reference for selected and variable samples of help-seeking individuals at ultra-high risk, for whom much higher transition rates have been indicated.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed on June 24, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-133).

Computational modelling has been gaining an increasing amount of support from the neuroscience community as a tool to assay cognition and computational processes in the brain. Lately, scientists have started to apply computational methods from neuroscience to the study of psychiatry to gain further insight into the mechanisms leading to mental disorders. In fact, only recently has psychiatry started to move away from categorising illnesses using behavioural symptoms in an attempt for a more biologically driven diagnosis. To date, several neurobiological anomalies have been found in schizophrenia and led to a multitude of conceptual framework attempting to link the biology to the patients’ symptoms. Computational modelling can be applied to formalise these conceptual frameworks in an effort to test the validity or likelihood of each hypothesis. Recently, a novel conceptual model has been proposed to describe how positive symptoms (delusions, hallucinations and thought disorder) and cognitive symptoms (poor decision-making, i.e. “executive functioning”) might arise in schizophrenia. This framework however, has not been tested experimentally or against computational models. The focus of this thesis was to use a combination of behavioural experiments and computational models to independently assess the validity of each component that make up this framework. The first study of this thesis focused on the computational analysis of a disrupted prediction-error signalling and its implications for decision-making performances in complex tasks. Briefly, we used a reinforcement-learning model of a gambling task in rodents and disrupted the prediction-error signal known to be critical for learning. We found that this disruption can account for poor performances in decision-making due to an incorrect acquisition of the model of the world. This study illustrates how disruptions in prediction-error signalling (known to be present in schizophrenia) can lead to the acquisition of an incorrect world model which can lead to poor executive functioning or false beliefs (delusions) as seen in patients. The second study presented in this thesis addressed spatial working memory performances in chronic schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, first episode psychosis and family relatives of DISC1 translocation carriers. We build a probabilistic inference model to solve the working memory task optimally and then implemented various alterations of this model to test commonly debated hypotheses of cognitive deficiency in schizophrenia. Our goal was to find which of these hypotheses accounts best for the poor performance observed in patients. We found that while the performance at the task was significantly different for most patients groups in comparison to controls, this effect disappeared after controlling for IQ in one group. The models were nonetheless fitted to the experimental data and suggest that working memory maintenance is most likely to account for the poor performances observed in patients. We propose that the maintenance of information in working memory might have indirect implications for measures of general cognitive performance, as these rely on a correct filtering of information against distractions and cortical noise. Finally the third study presented in this thesis assessed the performance of medicated chronic schizophrenia patients in a statistical learning task of visual stimuli and measured how the acquired statistics influenced their perception. We find that patient with chronic schizophrenia appear to be unimpaired at statistical learning of visual stimuli. The acquired statistics however appear to induce less expectation-driven ‘hallucinations’ of the stimuli in the patients group than in controls. We find that this is in line with previous literature showing that patients are less susceptible to expectation-driven illusions than controls. This study highlights however the idea that perceptual processes during sensory integration diverge from this of healthy controls. In conclusion, this thesis suggests that impairments in reinforcement learning and Bayesian inference appear to be able to account for the positive and cognitive symptoms observed in schizophrenia, but that further work is required to merge these findings. Specifically, while our studies addressed individual components such as associative learning, working memory, implicit learning & perceptual inference, we cannot conclude that deficits of reinforcement learning and Bayesian inference can collectively account for symptoms in schizophrenia. We argue however that the studies presented in this thesis provided evidence that impairments of reinforcement learning and Bayesian inference are compatible with the emergence of positive and cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia.

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the association between adolescent substance use and psychosis in later life, after taking into account a wide range of known confounders, using data from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (N = 9432). Adolescence is a vulnerable neurodevelopmental period, during which many brain maturation processes take place. Substance use during this critical period may disrupt these processes, ultimately leading to mental health problems. Several meta-analyses have demonstrated associations between cannabis use and tobacco smoking and increased risk of psychotic disorders. However, lack of data on the temporal order of the association and uncertainty in relation to the role of confounding factors warranted further studies. Furthermore, there are no longitudinal studies on the association between adolescent inhalant use and psychotic disorders. The study sample consisted of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. There were 7344 adolescents who participated in the follow-up study in 2001-2002, when they were aged 15-16 years. Adolescents who answered the questions on substance use and psychotic experiences (PROD-screen) were included in the present study. The final sample included 6542 subjects. In this study, an increased risk of psychosis was found in those subjects who had used cannabis five times or more, smoked 10 or more cigarettes daily or had used inhalants 2-4 times or more. Each of these substances were associated with psychosis in a dose-response manner, even after adjustments for confounders. In addition, initiation of daily smoking at 13 years of age or earlier was associated with increased risk of psychosis compared to later initiation. In this comprehensive longitudinal population-based study, frequent cannabis use, daily tobacco smoking and frequent inhalant use in adolescence were independently associated with increased risk of incident psychosis, even after adjusting for confounders such as baseline psychotic experiences, other substance use and history of parental psychosis and substance abuse disorder. The results supply yet another reason to implement effective prevention strategies. / Tiivistelmä Väitöstutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää, onko teini-iän päihteidenkäytöllä yhteyttä psykoosiin sairastumiseen senkin jälkeen, kun sekoittavat tekijät on huomioitu. Aineistona käytettiin vuoden 1986 Pohjois- Suomen syntymäkohorttia (N = 9 432). Teini-iässä aivot muovautuvat ja kypsyvät nopeasti, minkä vuoksi se on erityisen herkkää aikaa päihteiden haitallisille vaikutuksille. Nuorena aloitettu päihteidenkäyttö saattaa häiritä aivojen kypsymistä, ja kehityksen häiriintyminen voi myöhemmin altistaa mielenterveysongelmille. Aiempien tutkimusten pohjalta tiedetään, että kannabiksen käyttö ja tupakointi ovat yhteydessä korkeampaan riskiin sairastua psykoosiin. Päihteidenkäytön ja psykoosiin sairastumisen välistä ajallista yhteyttä ei olla kuitenkaan aiemmin kyetty tutkimaan vakuuttavasti, eikä huomioon ole otettu nuoruuden aikaisia psykoottisia kokemuksia. Inhalanttien käytön eli imppaamisen yhteydestä psykoosiriskiin ei ole julkaistu yhtään pitkittäistutkimusta. Tutkimusaineisto koostui Pohjois-Suomen syntymäkohortista vuodelta 1986. Vuosina 2001–2002 järjestettyyn seurantatutkimukseen osallistui 7344 15–16- vuotiasta nuorta. Lopullisessa otoksessa (n=6542) huomioitiin henkilöt, jotka vastasivat kysymyksiin psykoottisista kokemuksista ja päihteidenkäytöstä. Kannabiksen käyttö 5 kertaa tai enemmän, päivittäinen tupakointi 10 savuketta tai enemmän ja inhalanttien käyttö 2-4 kertaa tai enemmän olivat yhteydessä korkeampaan riskiin sairastua psykoosiin seurannan aikana sekoittavien tekijöiden huomioimisenkin jälkeen. Tutkittujen päihteiden käyttö kasvatti psykoosiin sairastumisen riskiä päihteen käyttömäärän mukaan. Lisäksi päivittäisen tupakoinnin aloittaminen 13-vuotiaana tai aiemmin oli yhteydessä korkeampaan psykoosiriskiin tupakoinnin myöhemmin aloittaneisiin verrattuna. Tässä suuressa pitkittäisessä, yleisväestöön perustuvassa tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että toistuva kannabiksen käyttö, päivittäinen ja runsas tupakointi sekä toistuva inhalanttien käyttö teini-iässä olivat itsenäisesti yhteydessä kohonneeseen psykoosiriskiin, vaikka aiemmat psykoottiset kokemukset, muu päihdekäyttö, vanhempien psykoosisairaudet ja päihdeongelmat otettiin huomioon. Tulosten perusteella nuorten runsaan päihteidenkäytön ennaltaehkäisy on tärkeää ja sillä on todennäköisesti positiivisia vaikutuksia nuorten mielenterveyteen.

Pouco se sabe sobre a presença de sintomas psicóticos em idosos sem diagnóstico de demência, levando a dificuldades no esclarecimento da etiologia, na ausência de informações quanto a possíveis diagnósticos e no manejo clínico. Os estudos sobre a incidência de sintomas psicóticos nessa população são ainda mais escassos e limitados. Os dados disponíveis na literatura são todos provenientes de estudos em populações de países desenvolvidos. A prevalência de sintomas psicóticos em idosos sem diagnóstico de demência varia de 0,9 a 10,5%, já a incidência na literatura varia entre 4,8 e 8,0%. É possível especular sobre alguns fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento de sintomas psicóticos em indivíduos sem demência: idade avançada, gênero feminino, comprometimento sensorial, pior desempenho cognitivo, isolamento social, pior funcionalidade. Dados recentes sugerem os sintomas psicóticos como uma expressão prodrômica da demência, devido a sintomas como alucinações, delírios e ideação paranoide estarem associados ao aumento da incidência de demência no acompanhamento, à maior presença deles à medida que a faixa etária sobe e à menor média no escore do Miniexame do Estado Mental (MEEM) em indivíduos com tais sintomas. Objetivamos determinar a incidência de sintomas psicóticos, correlacioná-los com características clínicas e estabelecer uma taxa de conversão em idosos sem comprometimento cognitivo. Este estudo foi realizado em uma amostra de idosos de comunidade de São Paulo, sendo a amostra inicial composta por 1.125 indivíduos acima de 60 anos. Destes, 547 foram reavaliados em 2011 e submetidos ao mesmo protocolo inicial. Não tinham sintomas psicóticos na primeira fase 199 e 64 já possuíam em 2006. A incidência de ao menos um sintoma psicótico em 7 anos foi 8,0% (alucinações visuais/táteis: 4,5%; ideias persecutórias: 3,0%; alucinações auditivas: 2,5%). A incidência esteve relacionada à epilepsia (OR: 7,75 e 15,83), baixa pontuação no MEEM (OR: 0,72) e depressão referida (OR: 6,48). 57,8% dos indivíduos com sintomas psicóticos, mas sem demência na fase I, desenvolveram comprometimento cognitivo em 7 anos (alucinações visuais/táteis foram preditivas - OR: 5,66), o que estava relacionado a baixo MEEM e comprometimento funcional. A incidência de sintomas psicóticos e a taxa de conversão em comprometimento cognitivo estão no limite superior dos dados da literatura. Alucinações visuais/táteis foram os sintomas mais incidentes e os únicos preditivos para a evolução para comprometimento cognitivo em 5 anos. Encontramos importantes relações entre sintomas psicóticos e MEEM, crises convulsivas, depressão referida, diabetes e sífilis / Background: Studies of the incidence of psychotic symptoms in elderly people at risk of dementia are scarce. This is a seven year follow up study aiming to determine the incidence of psychotic symptoms and their correlation with other clinical aspects as well as conversion rates to cognitive impairment. Objectives: To determine the incidence of psychotic symptoms, correlate these symptoms with clinical characteristics and establish the conversion rate to cognitively impaired individuals. Design: Cross-sectional study of a community-based sample of elderly subjects. Setting: City of Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Participants: The original sample was composed of 1,125 individuals aged 60 years and older from a community. Among this sample, 547 subjects were re-evaluated in 2011 and submitted to the same protocol. Of these, 199 did not have psychotic symptoms at phase I and 64 already had psychotic symptoms in 2006. Results: The incidence of at least one psychotic symptom in 7 years was 8.0% (Visual/tactile hallucinations: 4.5%; Persecutory delusions: 3.0%; Auditory hallucinations: 2.5%). Psychotic symptom incidence was associated with epilepsy (OR: 7.75 and 15.83), lower MMSE (OR: 0.72) and reported depression (OR: 6.48). A total of 57.8% of individuals with psychotic symptoms but without dementia at phase I developed cognitive impairment after 7 years (visual/tactile hallucinations were the only psychotic symptom predictive of this impairment - OR: 5.66), which was related to lower MMSE and increased functional impairment. Conclusions: The incidence of psychotic symptoms and the conversion rate to cognitive impairment was in the upper range of previous literature reports. Visual/tactile hallucinations were the most incident symptoms and the only predictive psychotic symptoms for cognitive impairment in 5 years. Important relationships were found between psychotic symptoms incidence and MMSE, epilepsy, reported depression, diabetes and syphilis

A maioria dos estudos sobre o papel da família na continuidade do tratamento após o primeiro episódio psicótico investigam os casos de abandono de tratamento e apontam para aspectos \"negativos da família\". Poucos estudos investigam o papel da família nos casos de pacientes que se mantém no tratamento. Objetivo: Compreender a experiência de cuidar de um familiar no PEP e evidenciar as motivações para manter-se no cuidado. Método: Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa que utilizou a teoria sistêmica familiar como referencial teórico e a narrativa como referencial metodológico. Foram entrevistados 13 familiares cuidadores de 12 pacientes. Para a realização das entrevistas em profundidade com enfoque narrativo foi utilizada a seguinte questão norteadora: Nós sabemos que poucos familiares se mantêm no tratamento em saúde mental junto ao seu jovem familiar adoecido após o primeiro episódio psicótico. Se manter no tratamento conjuntamente ao paciente e cuidar do mesmo é chamado por nós de engajamento. São ações como levar nas consultas, administrar a medicação, modo de se relacionar, cuidar da higiene e assim por diante. Sendo assim, gostaríamos que você nos contasse sobre o que te motiva a permanecer cuidando e tudo que você e sua família fazem pelo seu familiar adoecido. Para a exploração das narrativas foi utilizada a técnica de análise de conteúdo indutiva. Resultados: A análise das narrativas definiu o engajamento familiar em três grandes categorias interdependentes. Uma é relacionada ao contexto de sentimentos envolvidos no cuidar denominada \"Motivações para o engajamento\", as outras duas referem-se às ações relacionadas ao cuidar denominadas \"As ações de engajamento\" e \"Avaliação constante do cuidar\". Conclusão: A pesquisa contribui com o conhecimento ao apresentar famílias ativamente envolvidas no cuidado com o jovem em tratamento para o primeiro episódio psicótico. O referencial teórico - metodológico possibilitou destacar e valorizar as histórias, experiências e as relações familiares envolvidos no cuidado de um ente querido. Os cuidados foram descritos e contextualizados nos valores culturais das famílias. Verificamos que os familiares percebem o cuidado como uma responsabilidade do seu papel na família / Most studies of the family\'s role in the continuity of treatment after the first epidode psychosis investigate cases of abandonment treatment and point to \"negative aspects of family\". Few studies have investigated the role of the family in cases of patients who remain in treatment. Objective: Understand the experience of caring of a familiar in PEP and highlight the motivations to remain in care. Method: This is a qualitative research that used the systemic family theory as the theoretical framework and the narrative as a methodological framework. 13 family caregivers of 12 patients were interviewed. To carry out the interviews with narrative approach was used the following question: We know that few families remain in mental health treatment of their sick young familiar after the first episode psychosis. Maintain the treating and taking care of the patient is called engagement. These are actions like take into consultations, administer medications, so as to relate, take care of hygiene and so on. Therefore, we would like you to tell us what motivates you to stay caring after everything you and your family are sickened by his family. For the exploration of the narratives was used the inductive content analysis technique. Results: The analysis of the narrative set the familiar engagement in three major interdependent categories. One is related to the context of feelings involved in the care called \"Motivations for engagement,\" the other two refer to actions related to care called \"The engagement actions\" and \"The assessment of care.\" Conclusion: The study contributes to the knowledge to present actively involved families in caring of the young in treatment of first episode psychosis. The theoretical - methodological possible highlight and enhance the stories, experiences and family relations involved in the care of a loved one. Care were described and contextualized in the cultural values of families. We found that family members perceive care as a responsibility of their role in the family