Gerhard Grobler | University of Pretoria (original) (raw)

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Papers by Gerhard Grobler

Research paper thumbnail of Factors associated with long hospitalisation for psychotic disorder patients in an acute ward: Tertiary care hospital

South African journal of psychiatry, Apr 23, 2024

How to cite this article: Paliweni-Zwane TI, Modisane LN, Grobler GP. Factors associated with lon... more How to cite this article: Paliweni-Zwane TI, Modisane LN, Grobler GP. Factors associated with long hospitalisation for psychotic disorder patients in an acute ward: Tertiary care hospital.

Research paper thumbnail of Can overzealous reliance on evidence-based medicine overshadow good clinical judgement?

Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Jan 31, 2024

30, there was an error in the year of the published date. The published date was given incorrectl... more 30, there was an error in the year of the published date. The published date was given incorrectly as 31 January 2023. The correct published date should be 31 January 2024. The publisher apologises for this error. The correction does not change the study's findings, its significance or overall interpretation of its results or the scientific conclusions of the article in any way.

Research paper thumbnail of Review of: "Mental health in fishing communities: An overview of current knowledge and information gaps for fisheries

Research paper thumbnail of Major depressive disorder : The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) Treatment Guidelines for Psychiatric Disorders

South African Medical Journal, 2013

This treatment guideline draws on several international guidelines: (i) Practice Guidelines of th... more This treatment guideline draws on several international guidelines: (i) Practice Guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the Treatment of Patients with Major Depressive Disorder, Second Edition; (ii) Clinical Guidelines for the Treatment of Depressive Disorders by the Canadian Psychiatric Association and the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT); (iii) National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines; (iv) Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Clinical Practice Guidelines Team for Depression (RANZCAP); (v) Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP) Guidelines; (vi) World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Treatment Guideline for Unipolar Depressive Disorder; and (vii) British Association for Psychopharmacology Guidelines.

Research paper thumbnail of Major Depressive Disorder

South African journal of psychiatry, Aug 30, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of Mental health symptoms among homeless shelter residents during COVID-19 lockdown in Tshwane, South Africa

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

Background: In order to contain the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa during the national state ... more Background: In order to contain the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa during the national state of emergency, the Gauteng Department of Social Development established temporary shelters and activated existing facilities to provide basic needs to street-homeless people in Tshwane, which facilitated primary health care service-delivery to this community.Aim: This study aimed to determine and analyse the prevalence of mental health symptoms and demographic characteristics among street-homeless people living in Tshwane’s shelters during lockdown.Setting: Homeless shelters set up in Tshwane during level 5 of the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa.Methods: A cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted using a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)-based questionnaire that looked at 13 mental health symptom domains.Results: Presence of moderate-to-severe symptoms were reported among the 295 participants as follows: substance use 202 (68%), anxiety 156 (53%), pers...

Research paper thumbnail of Development of a Mobile Application for Detection of Adolescent Mental Health Problems and Feasibility Assessment with Primary Health Care Workers

Issues in Mental Health Nursing, Oct 7, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Mental health literacy among primary healthcare workers in South Africa and Zambia

Research paper thumbnail of Algorithmic Assessments in Deciding on Voluntary, Assisted or Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment

Diagnostics

The challenges in assessing whether psychiatric treatment should be provided on voluntary, assist... more The challenges in assessing whether psychiatric treatment should be provided on voluntary, assisted or involuntary legal bases prompted the development of an assessment algorithm that may aid clinicians. It comprises a part that assesses the incapacity to provide informed consent to treatment, care or rehabilitation. It also captures the patient’s willingness to receive these treatments, the risk posed to the patient’s health or safety, financial interests or reputation and risks of serious harm to self or others. By following various decision paths, the algorithm yields one of four legal states: a voluntary, assisted, or involuntary state or that the proposed intervention should be declined. This study examined the predictive validity and the reliability of this algorithm. It was applied 4052 times to 135 clinical case narratives by 294 research participants. The legal states yielded by the algorithm had high statistical significance when matched with the gold standard (Chi-squared...

Research paper thumbnail of Validity of Categories Related to Gender Identity in ICD-11 and DSM-5 Among Transgender Individuals who Seek Gender-Affirming Medical Procedures

International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 2022

The most recent versions of the two main mental disorders classifications-the World Health Organi... more The most recent versions of the two main mental disorders classifications-the World Health Organization's ICD-11 and the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5-differ substantially in their diagnostic categories related to transgender identity. ICD-11 gender incongruence (GI), in contrast to DSM-5 gender dysphoria (GD), is explicitly not a mental disorder; neither distress nor dysfunction is a required feature. The objective was compared ICD-11 and DSM-5 diagnostic requirements in terms of their sensitivity, specificity, discriminability and ability to predict the use of gender-affirming medical procedures. A total of 649 of transgender adults in six countries completed a retrospective structured interview. Using ROC analysis, sensitivity of the diagnostic requirements was equivalent for both systems, but ICD-11 showed greater specificity than DSM-5. Regression analyses indicated that history of hormones and/or surgery was predicted by variables that are an intrinsic aspect of GI/GD more than by distress and dysfunction. IRT analyses showed that the ICD-11 diagnostic formulation was more parsimonious and contained more information about caseness than the DSM-5 model. This study supports the ICD-11 position that GI/GD is not a mental disorder; additional diagnostic requirements of distress and/or dysfunction in DSM-5 reduce the predictive power of the diagnostic model.

Research paper thumbnail of How can a 6-week training course shape mental healthcare professionals’ understanding of mindfulness? Experiences at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital

The South African Journal of Psychiatry : SAJP : the Journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa, 2021

Background Mindfulness-based practice has gained increasing attention in the mental health commun... more Background Mindfulness-based practice has gained increasing attention in the mental health community over the last four decades, and many studies have explored the evidence of its various benefits among healthcare users and providers alike. However, there remains limited research regarding the understanding of mindfulness among mental healthcare professionals. This poses the question: how much do mental healthcare professionals really know about mindfulness, and can self-practice increase the understanding of these providers? Aim This descriptive or exploratory case study aimed to explore the understanding of mindfulness amongst 15 mental healthcare professionals. Setting The study took place at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital. Method The study was conducted following a 6-week training course in which the participants were taught, and carried out mindfulness-based practices and techniques. The study also explored the following: (1) the healthcare workers’ experiences, benefits and c...

Research paper thumbnail of The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) and SASOP State Employed Special Interest Group (SESIG) position statements on psychiatric care in the public sector

South African Journal of Psychiatry, 2012

position statements Contents 1. SESIG aims and objectives 2. Background Position Statement 1 on n... more position statements Contents 1. SESIG aims and objectives 2. Background Position Statement 1 on national mental health policy 3. Proceedings of the SESIG strategic workshop and identified key issues Position Statement 2 on psychiatry and mental health 3.1 Infrastructure and resources Position Statement 3 on infrastructure and resources 3.2 Standard treatment guidelines (STGs) and essential drug lists (EDLs) Position Statement 4 on STGs and EDLs 3.3 Mental health and psychiatric disorders in context of the global burden of disease, including HIV/AIDS and substance-related problems 3.3.1 HIV/AIDS and neuropsychiatry Position Statement 5(a) on HIV/AIDS in children Position Statement 5(b) on HIV/AIDS in adults 3.3.2 Substance abuse and addiction Position Statement 6 on substance abuse and addiction 3.4 Community-centred psychiatry and referral levels Position Statement 7 on community psychiatry and referrals 3.5 Recovery framework Position Statement 8 on recovery and integration 3.6 Culture, mental health and psychiatry position statements

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction : The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) Treatment Guidelines for Psychiatric Disorders

South African Medical Journal, 2013

The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) Treatment Guidelines for Psychiatric Disorders... more The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) Treatment Guidelines for Psychiatric Disorders have been developed in order to address the local need for guidelines in our unique clinical setting. The need for treatment guidelines has frequently been expressed by South African psychiatrists and other medical practitioners, as well as by other role players such as medical scheme and other funding body advisors and the pharmaceutical industry. While several well-developed international treatment guidelines are readily accessible and are indeed extensively utilised in South Africa, they are not always applicable to our own circumstances. There are often important differences, not only regarding the availability of various psychotropic medications, but also in healthcare settings and availability of resources that need to be considered when selecting particular medications. For example, prescribing compounds that require regular monitoring such as lithium and clozapine may not always...

Research paper thumbnail of IFP News Section

Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Categories Related to Gender Identity in ICD-11 and DSM-5 Sensitivity, Specificity and Ability to Predict Gender-Affirming Medical Procedures

Research paper thumbnail of Case study: A patient with severe delusions who self-mutilates

South African Journal of Psychiatry

Research paper thumbnail of Content validation of Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) for primary health care workers in South Africa and Zambia ─ a heterogeneous expert panel method

Research paper thumbnail of Design and Development Process of a Youth Depression Screening m-Health Application for Primary Health Care Workers in South Africa and Zambia: An Overview of the MEGA Project

Issues in Mental Health Nursing

Research paper thumbnail of Experiences of gender incongruence and the relationship between social exclusion, psychological distress, and dysfunction among South African transgender adults: A field-study for ICD-11

Annals of clinical psychiatry : official journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists, 2018

The classification of sexuality-related conditions and conditions relating to transgender identit... more The classification of sexuality-related conditions and conditions relating to transgender identity has generated controversy. Growing evidence suggests that the distress and dysfunction reported by transgender individuals is more likely associated with social exclusion, stigmatization, and violence than as a result of gender incongruence per se. Our study aimed to explore the experiences of South African transgender individuals through: 1) their self-reported accounts of gender incongruence, and 2) associations between their experiences of social exclusion and violence, and their reports of psychological distress and dysfunction during adolescence. Our sample of 57 South African transgender adults completed a structured interview, in English, including questions related to experiences of gender incongruence duration, distress, dysfunction, social exclusion, and violence. Many transgender individuals reported having experienced an intense desire to be a different gender, with all not...

Research paper thumbnail of Priority areas for cannabis and cannabinoid product research in South Africa

African journal of primary health care & family medicine, Jan 21, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Factors associated with long hospitalisation for psychotic disorder patients in an acute ward: Tertiary care hospital

South African journal of psychiatry, Apr 23, 2024

How to cite this article: Paliweni-Zwane TI, Modisane LN, Grobler GP. Factors associated with lon... more How to cite this article: Paliweni-Zwane TI, Modisane LN, Grobler GP. Factors associated with long hospitalisation for psychotic disorder patients in an acute ward: Tertiary care hospital.

Research paper thumbnail of Can overzealous reliance on evidence-based medicine overshadow good clinical judgement?

Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Jan 31, 2024

30, there was an error in the year of the published date. The published date was given incorrectl... more 30, there was an error in the year of the published date. The published date was given incorrectly as 31 January 2023. The correct published date should be 31 January 2024. The publisher apologises for this error. The correction does not change the study's findings, its significance or overall interpretation of its results or the scientific conclusions of the article in any way.

Research paper thumbnail of Review of: "Mental health in fishing communities: An overview of current knowledge and information gaps for fisheries

Research paper thumbnail of Major depressive disorder : The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) Treatment Guidelines for Psychiatric Disorders

South African Medical Journal, 2013

This treatment guideline draws on several international guidelines: (i) Practice Guidelines of th... more This treatment guideline draws on several international guidelines: (i) Practice Guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the Treatment of Patients with Major Depressive Disorder, Second Edition; (ii) Clinical Guidelines for the Treatment of Depressive Disorders by the Canadian Psychiatric Association and the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT); (iii) National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines; (iv) Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Clinical Practice Guidelines Team for Depression (RANZCAP); (v) Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP) Guidelines; (vi) World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Treatment Guideline for Unipolar Depressive Disorder; and (vii) British Association for Psychopharmacology Guidelines.

Research paper thumbnail of Major Depressive Disorder

South African journal of psychiatry, Aug 30, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of Mental health symptoms among homeless shelter residents during COVID-19 lockdown in Tshwane, South Africa

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

Background: In order to contain the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa during the national state ... more Background: In order to contain the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa during the national state of emergency, the Gauteng Department of Social Development established temporary shelters and activated existing facilities to provide basic needs to street-homeless people in Tshwane, which facilitated primary health care service-delivery to this community.Aim: This study aimed to determine and analyse the prevalence of mental health symptoms and demographic characteristics among street-homeless people living in Tshwane’s shelters during lockdown.Setting: Homeless shelters set up in Tshwane during level 5 of the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa.Methods: A cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted using a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)-based questionnaire that looked at 13 mental health symptom domains.Results: Presence of moderate-to-severe symptoms were reported among the 295 participants as follows: substance use 202 (68%), anxiety 156 (53%), pers...

Research paper thumbnail of Development of a Mobile Application for Detection of Adolescent Mental Health Problems and Feasibility Assessment with Primary Health Care Workers

Issues in Mental Health Nursing, Oct 7, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Mental health literacy among primary healthcare workers in South Africa and Zambia

Research paper thumbnail of Algorithmic Assessments in Deciding on Voluntary, Assisted or Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment

Diagnostics

The challenges in assessing whether psychiatric treatment should be provided on voluntary, assist... more The challenges in assessing whether psychiatric treatment should be provided on voluntary, assisted or involuntary legal bases prompted the development of an assessment algorithm that may aid clinicians. It comprises a part that assesses the incapacity to provide informed consent to treatment, care or rehabilitation. It also captures the patient’s willingness to receive these treatments, the risk posed to the patient’s health or safety, financial interests or reputation and risks of serious harm to self or others. By following various decision paths, the algorithm yields one of four legal states: a voluntary, assisted, or involuntary state or that the proposed intervention should be declined. This study examined the predictive validity and the reliability of this algorithm. It was applied 4052 times to 135 clinical case narratives by 294 research participants. The legal states yielded by the algorithm had high statistical significance when matched with the gold standard (Chi-squared...

Research paper thumbnail of Validity of Categories Related to Gender Identity in ICD-11 and DSM-5 Among Transgender Individuals who Seek Gender-Affirming Medical Procedures

International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 2022

The most recent versions of the two main mental disorders classifications-the World Health Organi... more The most recent versions of the two main mental disorders classifications-the World Health Organization's ICD-11 and the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5-differ substantially in their diagnostic categories related to transgender identity. ICD-11 gender incongruence (GI), in contrast to DSM-5 gender dysphoria (GD), is explicitly not a mental disorder; neither distress nor dysfunction is a required feature. The objective was compared ICD-11 and DSM-5 diagnostic requirements in terms of their sensitivity, specificity, discriminability and ability to predict the use of gender-affirming medical procedures. A total of 649 of transgender adults in six countries completed a retrospective structured interview. Using ROC analysis, sensitivity of the diagnostic requirements was equivalent for both systems, but ICD-11 showed greater specificity than DSM-5. Regression analyses indicated that history of hormones and/or surgery was predicted by variables that are an intrinsic aspect of GI/GD more than by distress and dysfunction. IRT analyses showed that the ICD-11 diagnostic formulation was more parsimonious and contained more information about caseness than the DSM-5 model. This study supports the ICD-11 position that GI/GD is not a mental disorder; additional diagnostic requirements of distress and/or dysfunction in DSM-5 reduce the predictive power of the diagnostic model.

Research paper thumbnail of How can a 6-week training course shape mental healthcare professionals’ understanding of mindfulness? Experiences at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital

The South African Journal of Psychiatry : SAJP : the Journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa, 2021

Background Mindfulness-based practice has gained increasing attention in the mental health commun... more Background Mindfulness-based practice has gained increasing attention in the mental health community over the last four decades, and many studies have explored the evidence of its various benefits among healthcare users and providers alike. However, there remains limited research regarding the understanding of mindfulness among mental healthcare professionals. This poses the question: how much do mental healthcare professionals really know about mindfulness, and can self-practice increase the understanding of these providers? Aim This descriptive or exploratory case study aimed to explore the understanding of mindfulness amongst 15 mental healthcare professionals. Setting The study took place at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital. Method The study was conducted following a 6-week training course in which the participants were taught, and carried out mindfulness-based practices and techniques. The study also explored the following: (1) the healthcare workers’ experiences, benefits and c...

Research paper thumbnail of The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) and SASOP State Employed Special Interest Group (SESIG) position statements on psychiatric care in the public sector

South African Journal of Psychiatry, 2012

position statements Contents 1. SESIG aims and objectives 2. Background Position Statement 1 on n... more position statements Contents 1. SESIG aims and objectives 2. Background Position Statement 1 on national mental health policy 3. Proceedings of the SESIG strategic workshop and identified key issues Position Statement 2 on psychiatry and mental health 3.1 Infrastructure and resources Position Statement 3 on infrastructure and resources 3.2 Standard treatment guidelines (STGs) and essential drug lists (EDLs) Position Statement 4 on STGs and EDLs 3.3 Mental health and psychiatric disorders in context of the global burden of disease, including HIV/AIDS and substance-related problems 3.3.1 HIV/AIDS and neuropsychiatry Position Statement 5(a) on HIV/AIDS in children Position Statement 5(b) on HIV/AIDS in adults 3.3.2 Substance abuse and addiction Position Statement 6 on substance abuse and addiction 3.4 Community-centred psychiatry and referral levels Position Statement 7 on community psychiatry and referrals 3.5 Recovery framework Position Statement 8 on recovery and integration 3.6 Culture, mental health and psychiatry position statements

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction : The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) Treatment Guidelines for Psychiatric Disorders

South African Medical Journal, 2013

The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) Treatment Guidelines for Psychiatric Disorders... more The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) Treatment Guidelines for Psychiatric Disorders have been developed in order to address the local need for guidelines in our unique clinical setting. The need for treatment guidelines has frequently been expressed by South African psychiatrists and other medical practitioners, as well as by other role players such as medical scheme and other funding body advisors and the pharmaceutical industry. While several well-developed international treatment guidelines are readily accessible and are indeed extensively utilised in South Africa, they are not always applicable to our own circumstances. There are often important differences, not only regarding the availability of various psychotropic medications, but also in healthcare settings and availability of resources that need to be considered when selecting particular medications. For example, prescribing compounds that require regular monitoring such as lithium and clozapine may not always...

Research paper thumbnail of IFP News Section

Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Categories Related to Gender Identity in ICD-11 and DSM-5 Sensitivity, Specificity and Ability to Predict Gender-Affirming Medical Procedures

Research paper thumbnail of Case study: A patient with severe delusions who self-mutilates

South African Journal of Psychiatry

Research paper thumbnail of Content validation of Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) for primary health care workers in South Africa and Zambia ─ a heterogeneous expert panel method

Research paper thumbnail of Design and Development Process of a Youth Depression Screening m-Health Application for Primary Health Care Workers in South Africa and Zambia: An Overview of the MEGA Project

Issues in Mental Health Nursing

Research paper thumbnail of Experiences of gender incongruence and the relationship between social exclusion, psychological distress, and dysfunction among South African transgender adults: A field-study for ICD-11

Annals of clinical psychiatry : official journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists, 2018

The classification of sexuality-related conditions and conditions relating to transgender identit... more The classification of sexuality-related conditions and conditions relating to transgender identity has generated controversy. Growing evidence suggests that the distress and dysfunction reported by transgender individuals is more likely associated with social exclusion, stigmatization, and violence than as a result of gender incongruence per se. Our study aimed to explore the experiences of South African transgender individuals through: 1) their self-reported accounts of gender incongruence, and 2) associations between their experiences of social exclusion and violence, and their reports of psychological distress and dysfunction during adolescence. Our sample of 57 South African transgender adults completed a structured interview, in English, including questions related to experiences of gender incongruence duration, distress, dysfunction, social exclusion, and violence. Many transgender individuals reported having experienced an intense desire to be a different gender, with all not...

Research paper thumbnail of Priority areas for cannabis and cannabinoid product research in South Africa

African journal of primary health care & family medicine, Jan 21, 2018