Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of serious mental disorders in a prison population in Durban, South Africa, one of the largest prisons in the Southern hemisphere. Method: 193 prisoners were interviewed using the Mini Neuro-psychiatric Interview, a screening questionnaire and a demographic questionnaire. Results: The study demonstrated that 55.4% of prisoners had an Axis 1 disorder. The commonest disorder being substance and alcohol use disorders ( 42.0%). 23.3% of prisoners were diagnosed with current psychotic, bipolar, depressive and anxiety disorders. 46.1% were diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. The majority of prisoners diagnosed as having an Axis 1 disorder in this study, were neither diagnosed nor treated in prison. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of mental disorders among prisoners in a prison population in Durban, South Africa. The majority of these prisoners are untreated in prison, related to non detection of the mental disorder. Greater mental health awareness and provision of mental health services focusing on staff training programmes to detect mental illnesses are needed and further research is recommended throughout South Africa.
A Af fr ri ic ca an n J Jo ou ur rn na al l o of f P Ps sy yc ch hi ia at tr ry y • February 2008 5 51 1 Introduction Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder currently defined by the coexistence of three clusters of symptoms, persisting for one month in survivors of a serious traumatic event .These clusters are:• Intrusive cluster -Intrusions can take the form of repeated, unwanted and uncontrollable thoughts of the trauma, and can include nightmare and/or flashbacks.• Avoidant cluster -These symptoms consist of the person's attempt to reduce exposure to people or places that may elicit memories of the event (or intrusive symptoms). This also involves symptoms such as social withdrawal, emotional numbing and a sense of loss of pleasure.• There is a dearth of South African information on the prevalence of PTSD in a psychiatric population. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and comorbidity of PTSD in a psychiatric population, not presenting on the basis of trauma. Method: The study was cross sectional and conducted at a psychiatric outpatient clinic in the Durban Metropolitan area. The sample was obtained from patients seen at follow up over a period of twelve weeks. The researcher randomly selected prospective participants and at the end of their consultation the purpose of the study was explained and they were invited to participate. Demographic characteristics and diagnosis were recorded. Thereafter, the Zulu version of the Modified Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (MPDS) was administered and data collected. Results: The study demonstrated that 22% of subjects reported symptoms of PTSD where the primary presentation was not trauma related. Conclusion: A significant number of psychiatric patients presenting for non-trauma related psychopathology report symptoms of PTSD when specifically questioned. The findings suggest that such questioning may be overlooked when dealing with psychiatric patients who do not specifically present on the basis of trauma.
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