Phenotype and genetic analysis of data collected within the first year of NeuroDev.

Genetic association studies have made significant contributions to our understanding of the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). However, these studies rarely focused on the African continent. The NeuroDev Project aims to address this diversity gap through detailed phenotypic and genetic characterization of children with NDDs from Kenya and South Africa.

Validity of the SNAP-IV For ADHD Assessment in South African Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham ADHD Rating Scale (SNAP-IV) in a sample of South African children with neurodevelopmental disorders (n = 201), primarily Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to inspect the two-factor structure of the SNAP-IV. We also calculated ordinal coefficient alpha to estimate internal consistency.

'Global mental health': systematic review of the term and its implicit priorities.

Background: The term 'global mental health' came to the fore in 2007, when the Lancet published a series by that name.

Aims: To review all peer-reviewed articles using the term 'global mental health' and determine the implicit priorities of scientific literature that self-identifies with this term.

Method: We conducted a systematic review to quantify all peer-reviewed articles using the English term 'global mental health' in their text published between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2016, including by geographic regions and by mental health conditions.

Neuropsychiatric Genetics of African Populations-Psychosis (NeuroGAP-Psychosis): a case-control study protocol and GWAS in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

Introduction: Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder account for a large proportion of the global burden of disease. Despite their enormous impact, little is known about their pathophysiology. Given the high heritability of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, unbiased genetic studies offer the opportunity to gain insight into their neurobiology.

The NeuroDev Study: Phenotypic and Genetic Characterization of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Kenya and South Africa.

The NeuroDev study will deeply phenotype cognition, behavior, dysmorphias, and neuromedical traits on an expected cohort of 5,600 Africans (1,800 child cases, 1,800 child controls, and 1,900 parents) and will collect whole blood for exome sequencing and biobanking.

Participation of psychiatric nurses in public and private mental healthcare in Kenya.

We studied the rate of participation of psychiatric nurses in mental healthcare in Kenya. A simple questionnaire was delivered to 50 nurses attending a mental health meeting of the National Nursing Alliance of Kenya in April 2012. Of the 40 nurses with psychiatric nursing qualifications, 19 worked specifically as psychiatric nurses; among those employed as general nurses, half their case-loads were mental health patients.

Service use, charge, and access to mental healthcare in a private Kenyan inpatient setting: the effects of insurance.

The gap in Kenya between need and treatment for mental disorders is wide, and private providers are increasingly offering services, funded in part by private health insurance (PHI). Chiromo, a 30-bed psychiatric hospital in Nairobi, forms part of one of the largest private psychiatric providers in East Africa. The study evaluated the effects of insurance on service use and charge, questioning implications on access to care.

Mapping mental health finances in Ghana, Uganda, Sri Lanka, India and Lao PDR.

Background: Limited evidence about mental health finances in low and middle-income countries is a key challenge to mental health care policy initiatives. This study aimed to map mental health finances in Ghana, Uganda, India (Kerala state), Sri Lanka and Lao PDR focusing on how much money is available for mental health, how it is spent, and how this impacts mental health services.

Methods: A researcher in each region reviewed public mental health-related budgets and interviewed key informants on government mental health financing.

Rational use and rationale for use: psychiatric medication at an Argentine institution for intellectual disability.

This article describes obstacles to the rational use of psychiatric drugs in a 1000-bed institution for people with intellectual disability employing the WHO framework for rationality. Quantitative data were collected from 98 charts and qualitative data from 14 individuals in this case study. Eight-three percent of patients were taking psychiatric medications, even though 67% of these had no psychiatric diagnosis.

Group therapy for substance use disorders: what do we know?

Although group therapy is the most prevalent treatment modality for substance use disorders, an up-to-date review of treatment outcome literature does not exist. A search of the literature yielded 24 treatment outcome studies comparing group therapy to other treatment conditions. These studies fell into one of six research design categories: (1) group therapy versus no group therapy; (2) group therapy versus individual therapy; (3) group therapy plus individual therapy versus group therapy alone; (4) group therapy plus individual therapy versus individual therapy alone; (5) group therapy versus another group therapy with different content or theoretical orientation; and (6) more group therapy versus less group therapy.

Psychosocial treatments for cocaine dependence.

Psychosocial treatment remains the predominant modality of treatment for patients with cocaine dependence. This paper reviews several recent studies comparing different types of psychosocial treatments for this population. A number of forms of psychosocial treatment for cocaine dependence have shown promising results, as detailed in the study descriptions.