African Journal of Psychiatry

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVES: Although mental health impact of gender based violence has been documented for many decades, the impact of the socio-cultural dimensions and type of perpetrator on mental health outcomes has not been described outside of developed countries. We explore depression symptomatology four to six weeks post-rape in South Africa and examine whether this differs according to the circumstances of the rape. METHOD: 140 participants recruited from public hospital services in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces were interviewed within two weeks after completing the post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) medication...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the pattern of and factors associated with outpatient clinic attendance among patients diagnosed with schizophrenia at a Nigerian psychiatric hospital. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of 313 consecutive outpatients with diagnosis of schizophrenia confirmed with the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnosis (SCID). Data was collected on sociodemographics, clinic attendance, perceived social support, perceived satisfaction with hospital care and illness severity (assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, BPRS)...

OBJECTIVE: The study was based at a South African hospital providing inpatient care for people with chronic mental disorders, and aimed at investigating the multidisciplinary team (MDT) members' views, understanding and attitudes towards psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR). METHOD: A survey method was used, with the MDT members completing a questionnaire that tapped, inter alia, their understanding of PSR, perceived aims and goals of PSR, adequacy of their professional training to implement PSR, availability of resources to implement PSR, and their views of chronic mentally ill patients, including their functional skills, needs and prognosis...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this qualitative study was to describe the problems that parents or caregivers of children with mental health disabilities and disorders in Namibia experience when accessing healthcare resources for their children. METHOD: Data was collected through focus group discussions with the participants and individual interviews with the key informants. Overall, a total of 41 people provided information for this study. Thematic data analysis was used to assess the data...

OBJECTIVE: While psychoeducation has been shown to positively affect outcomes in psychiatric disorders, its utility has been little studied in developing countries. The current study sought to examine the role of psychoeducation at a general psychiatric outpatient clinic in Kampala, Uganda in improving clinic attendance, treatment adherence, and clinical outcomes. METHOD: A prospective case-control study using a quasi-experimental design was conducted in 117 patients suffering various psychiatric disorders...

OBJECTIVE: There are currently no practising psychiatrists in Somaliland. In 2007 the first medical students graduated from universities in Somaliland without mental health training. We aimed to pilot an intensive but flexible package of mental health training to all senior medical students and interns using interactive training techniques and to evaluate its effectiveness by assessing knowledge, skills and attitudes. METHODS: Teaching techniques included didactic lectures, case based discussion groups and role playing...

A review of the international medical literature was undertaken on the role of spirituality in the discipline of psychiatry, within the context that a perceived change is taking place in the health care environment in South Africa. Revitalized interest in spirituality was evident from the literature partly because Western societies have, through the migration of people, become more heterogeneous in recent years. The literature concurred that spirituality must be incorporated into the current approach to the practice and training of psychiatry, but within the professional scope of the discipline, while all faith traditions and belief systems should be regarded equally...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVES: This study was prompted by the heightened concerns about the stress inherent in medical education evident from the incessant requests for suspension of studies due to psychological problems. The objectives of the study were to: (i) survey the students for possible psychological problems at admission, and follow them up till exit for possible changes in morbidity, and (ii) ascertain possible risk factors, and coping strategies. METHOD: This is a preliminary 2-stage cross-sectional report, which is part of a longitudinal survey...

OBJECTIVE: Childhood trauma has previously been associated with adult obesity. The aim of this study was to determine if ethnicity altered the relationship between childhood trauma and obesity in South African women. METHODS: Forty-four normal-weight (BMI < 25kg/m(2)) and obese (BMI > 30kg/m(2)), black and white premenopausal women completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), which retrospectively assessed emotional and physical neglect, and emotional, physical and sexual abuse in childhood...

OBJECTIVE: The clergy in sub-Saharan Africa play a major role in the care and pathways to orthodox mental health services of the mentally ill. Their attitudes concerning mental illnesses would influence community mental health intervention efforts. This study aimed to determine the attitudes of clergy towards persons with mental illness. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of clergy (n = 107) of the Christian and Muslim faiths was conducted, using a socio-demographic questionnaire and the 40- item Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) scale...

OBJECTIVE: This paper reports on overarching strategies which supported the establishment and sustainability of 9 mental health self-help organisations in seven African countries. METHOD: Eleven key informants were identified through snowballing and interviewed regarding their experience in the organisations. Thematic analysis of the interview data and other documentary evidence was guided by a coding scheme derived using a framework analysis approach to defining, categorising, mapping and interpreting textual data...

OBJECTIVE: There is a paucity of literature on consultation-liaison psychiatry, in northern Nigeria. This study aimed to determine both the pattern of psychiatric referrals, and the attitudes of doctors toward the treatment of mental disorders in a teaching hospital, in northeast Nigeria. METHOD: In this cross-sectional survey, we used a modified version of the self-rated Kumar 12-item questionnaire and a basic socio-demographic questionnaire to assess a non-random convenient sample of 100 postgraduate resident doctors (with a response rate of 70%) from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH)...