Browsing by Author "Kaminer, D."

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    Assessing post-traumatic stress disorder in South African adolescents : using the child and adolescent trauma survey (CATS) as a screening tool
    (BioMed Central, 2005-01) Suliman, S.; Kaminer, D.; Seedat, S.; Stein, D. J.
    Background: Several studies have demonstrated that South African children and adolescents are exposed to high levels of violent trauma with a significant proportion developing PTSD, however, limited resources make it difficult to accurately identify traumatized children. Methods: A clinical interview (K-SADS-PL, selected modules) and self-report scale (CATS) were compared to determine if these different methods of assessment elicit similar information with regards to trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescents. Youth (n = 58) from 2 schools in Cape Town, South Africa participated. Results: 91% of youth reported having been exposed to a traumatic event on self-report (CATS) and 38% reported symptoms severe enough to be classified as PTSD. On interview (K-SADS-PL), 86% reported exposure to a traumatic event and 19% were found to have PTSD. While there were significant differences in the rates of trauma exposure and PTSD on the K-SADS and CATS, a cutoff value of 15 on the CATS maximized both the number of true positives and true negatives with PTSD. The CATS also differentiated well between adolescents meeting DSM-IV PTSD symptom criteria from adolescents not meeting criteria. Conclusions: Our results indicate that trauma exposure and PTSD are prevalent in South African youth and if appropriate cut-offs are used, self-report scales may be useful screening tools for PTSD.
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    D8/17 in obsessive-compulsive disorder and trichotillomania
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1999) Niehaus, D. J. H.; Knowles, J. A.; Van Kradenberg, J.; Du Toit, W. D.; Kaminer, D.; Seedat, S.; Daniels, W.; Cotton, M.; Brink, P.; Beyers, A. D.; Bouic, P.; Chapman, F.; Zabriskie, J. B.; Stein, D. J.
    The finding that patients with Sydenham's chorea often demonstrate obsessive-compulsive disorder (OeD) has fostered increased interest in possible neuroimmunological mechanisms in OCD.' Increased expression of the B-Iymphocyte antigen 08/17, which has been hypothesised to be a genetically inherited trait marker for susceptibility to rheumatic fever, has recently been demonstrated to be higher in OCD patients than in normal controls.2.3 To date, however, 08/17 expression has been studied in few psychiatric control populations.
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    Treatment utilisation and trauma characteristics of child and adolescent inpatients with posttraumatic stress disorder
    (AOSIS, 2003) Traut, A.; Kaminer, D.; Boshoff, D.; Seedat, Soraya, 1966-; Hawkridge, S. M.; Stein, D. J.
    Objective: Few empirical studies have addressed the impact of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on treatment utilisation and outcome in South African youth. This study was undertaken to document demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics of child and adolescent inpatients with PTSD. Design: A retrospective chart study of all patients presenting to a child and adolescent inpatient unit was conducted between 1994-1996. For children and adolescents diagnosed with PTSD; demographic, diagnostic and treatment variables, including trauma type, family history, and delays in treatment seeking, were documented. Setting: Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Unit, Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town. Subjects: Children and adolescents (2 to 18 years) presenting to an inpatient unit (n=737). Results: 10.3% (n=76) met diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Gender differences were clearly evident: PTSD was six times more prevalent in girls (65 with PTSD were female and 11 were male); girls were most likely to have experienced rape or sexual abuse while boys were most likely to have witnessed a killing. Psychotherapy was the most common intervention for PTSD, followed by treatment with a tricyclic antidepressant. 97.4% of children and adolescents who were treated were improved at treatment endpoint. Delays in seeking treatment and problems with the primary support group were highly prevalent. Conclusion: PTSD is a common disorder that is responsive to treatment with psychotherapy and/or tricyclic antidepressants in child and adolescent inpatients. These findings underscore the importance of early identification and treatment of childhood PTSD in mental health settings, in particular tertiary service institutions.