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Articulating the emergence of the notion of ‘caregivers’ and evolutions in health care systems, the authors show that its currency represents a true paradigm shift in the perception of schizophrenic patients’ families and also that it is applied more from the point of view of patient management than patient therapy. Drawing on their experience of participating in a psycho-education group course for patients’ caregivers, the authors identify specific issues relating to caregivers in psychiatry. They recommend that when the care setting moves from the hospital to the home, the family should not only receive training, but that the singularity of each situation and each family group be examined and catered for.