Gerhard Grobler

University of Pretoria | UP · Department of Psychiatry

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 commu...

Background In developing countries, mental health literacy (MHL) still needs to be improved due to the high prevalence of mental disorders. It is widely recognized that MHL can improve health outcomes for both individuals and populations. Healthcare professionals’ development in MHL is crucial to the prevention of mental disorders. The aim of this...

Introduction: There has been a sharp increase in the use of digital health interventions in global health, particularly mobile health applications, in recent years. The extreme shortage of health care providers trained in mental health screening and intervention in low- and middle-income countries raises questions about the applicability of mobile...

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...

Assisting impaired physicians

Background/Objective: 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...

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 p...

This paper examined the impact of mindfulness training of mental healthcare workers' knowledge and experience of mindfulness.

Background: The lack of public knowledge and the burden caused by mental-health issues’ effect on developing and implementing adequate mental-health care for young and adolescent in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Primary health care could be the key in facing the challenge, but it suffers from insufficient resources and poor mental health...

Literature indicates a high prevalence and burden of mental illness in youths world-wide, which may be even higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), such as South Africa and Zambia. Additionally, there is a lack of knowledge regarding youth depression amongst many primary health care (PHC) practitioners. The principal goal of the MEGA pro...

Background: 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 incongruen...

The SAMRC brought key stakeholders representing all nine faculties of health sciences at South African universities together on 08 February 2017 at the SAMRC Medicina Campus, Cape Town, to explore opportunities for conducting local research and clinical trials of medicinal cannabis and cannabinoids to inform local policy-making. The workshop identi...

Abstract: • Background and aims Gender dysphoria and anorexia nervosa share considerable overlap. Both revolve around a sense of identity and evolving self-definition. Both are associated with significant stigma despite not being highly prevalent conditions. Transgender stigma is prevalent in South Africa and often interferes with access to care. T...

Purpose of review: To review the literature regarding the prevalence of mental health concerns, including psychiatric diagnoses in the TGNC community. Recent findings: Gender dysphoria is not the only mental health concern experienced by some members of TGNC people. Stigma and discrimination play a role in the development of mental health concer...

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 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 ro...

The 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; [1] ( ii ) Clinical Guidelines for the Treatment of Depressive Disorders by the Canadian Psychiatric Association and the Canadian Net...