Thesis (M.Cur) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / Adherence to antipsychotic medication is very important to patients with schizophrenia. Therefore, if patients with schizophrenia are non-adherent to treatment, they are at risk of relapse and being re-admitted at a mental health care institution in the Limpopo Province. Despite the proven benefits of antipsychotic medications, half of the patients with schizophrenia do not take their prescribed drugs. The researcher has observed the following occurrences during practice: • Lack of adherence to antipsychotic medications of schizophrenic patients results in symptoms not being relieved, poor drug effectiveness and patients developed other serious or costly consequences, such as being violent and damaging property; • High rate of relapse; and • High rate of re-admissions. This research questions has guided the study: • What are the factors affecting adherence of mentally stable schizophrenic patients to antipsychotic medications at a mental health institution in the Limpopo Province? • Do mentally stable schizophrenic patients adhere to prescribed treatment? • Are there any guidelines used to promote adherence to antipsychotic treatment? The aim of the study has been to determine the level of adherence of mentally stable schizophrenic patients to antipsychotic medication at a mental healthcare institution in the Limpopo Province. The objectives of the study have been to describe adherence of mentally stable schizophrenic patients to antipsychotic medication at a mental health institution in the Limpopo Province. It implies that participants have been given the opportunity to describe their experience while on medication. vi Their responses have led to the development of guidelines to promote adherence of mentally stable schizophrenic patients to antipsychotic medication. The study site has been the Thabamoopo Mental Healthcare Institution in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province. A descriptive, exploratory and contextual qualitative research design has been used in this study. The population has consisted of all mentally stable schizophrenic patients and all the carers of such patients. Non-probability purposive sampling has been used to select participants in this study. The researcher has used a semi- structured interview with two schedule guides for the patient and carers/relatives, which have specified the issues and questions covered. It has assisted the researcher with gathering information about the problem studied (De Vos et al. 2005).A total of twenty (n = 20) participants, consisting of fourteen (n = 14) mentally stable schizophrenic patients and six (n = 6) carers/relatives has been included voluntarily in the semi-structured interview sessions. The steps of data analysis as described by Tesch (1990) in Cresswell (1994) have been followed in this study. The findings of this study reveal a central storyline which indicates that participants share the same point of view in connection with aspects of adherence to antipsychotic treatment and also knowledge about the causes of mental illness and its prognosis. The following four themes and their sub-themes have emerged during data analysis: Theme 1: Participants share the same point of view related to aspects of adherence to antipsychotic treatment; Theme 2: Knowledge related to mental illness; Theme 3: Health seeking behaviours of mentally ill patients; and Theme 4: Experiences of relatives caring for mentally stable patients on treatment. Guidelines and recommendations based on the findings of this study are described in Chapter 4. The criteria for establishing the trustworthiness of qualitative data maintained in this study have been: Credibility, dependability, confirmability and transferability. The following ethical principles have been adhered to: The principle of beneficence, justice, the principle of human respect and dignity, permission to conduct the study, informed consent and confidentiality, privacy and anonymity.

Thesis (MA. (Psychology)) -- University of the North, 2002. / The aim of the study was to assess as to whether psycho education can lead to compliance,and to strengthen the families to be long-term caregivers in Mankweng hospital (psychiatric clinic) of the Limpopo Province. It is included two phases(l) baseline and (2) follow-up. The baseline included of 82 (50 males and 32 females) participants with schizo phrenia. Their (patients) ages ranged from 17 years to 62 years with the mean age of 37.5 (SD=l 0.2). So, forty-one (41) patients were the experimental group who interviewed and also received intervention , and the remaining forty-one(41) were only interviewed at the baseline. After nine moths , follow-up was done, and it included fifty-seven (36 males and 21 females) participants who were followed up at their homes. Thirty-one (31) were the experimental group and twenty-six (26) were the control group. Their ages ranged from 20 years to 62 years with the mean age 39.3 (SD= l2.6). At follow-up , the questionnaire was going along with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale for both groups. The results showed that most of the patients were compliant to their medications however ,with no significant differences because of the small sample that represented the population . For instance , not all patients were available at the follow-up session and there were other factors that could harm the effectiveness of research. The research concludes that psycho-education in South Africa can promise to improve health for the individuals only if the psychiatrists continue to educate patients to be effective on their treatment; and it can provide a concrete approach to the development of social and coping skills of the patients and their families.

Thesis (MSc (Genetics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Rapidly expanding knowledge of the human genome allows new insight into the interaction between drugs and DNA. The heterogeneic nature of schizophrenia is known to cause different patients to display dissimilar drug responses, reflecting distinct genetic profiles. Resulting adverse side effects include tardive dyskinesia (TD), a movement disorder associated with the long-term use of antipsychotic drugs. The identification of a pharmacogenetic basis of TD may have significant clinical implications in the treatment of schizophrenia, allowing individualised prescription of antipsychotic drugs and eventual elimination of undesirable side effects. The current study focussed on a number of South African Xhosa schizophrenia patients, some of whom have been diagnosed with TD. The investigation sought to establish whether the underlying mechanism causing the disorder to manifest only in some individuals, might be attributed to differences in DNA sequences, i.e. genomic susceptibility. A number of candidate polymorphisms in the CYP and MDR1 genes were evaluated in three separate analyses. (The same approach was followed in each investigation, and only known polymorphisms were selected.) The incidences of the various variants were compared between TD and non-TD patients. In addition, potential predisposing factors, i.e. tobacco and cannabis smoking and anhedonia, were taken into consideration. These were analysed concurrently with DNA data and TD status.

This Master thesis focuses on the neuropsychological test called Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test and its diagnostic value in the clinical assesment of schizophrenic patients. Deficiency of cognitive functioning is a dominating feature in the clinical picture of schizophrenic patients. Attention is brought especially to the specific aspects of the ROCF performance in the clinical group of schizophrenic patients. Theoretical part is based on the realized investigative studies focused on the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test and its value in cognitive assesment in psychodiagnostic praxis. The diagnostic method ROCF is presented in its complexity, the way of administration, assesment and interpretation are described and attention is also brought to the specific features of ROCF performance in healthy, neurological and psychiatric patients with focus on schizophrenic individuals. Empirical part of the thesis in the first section compares the ROCF performance of Czech healthy individuals and schizophrenic patients. The influence of demografic and other factors on the ROCF performance was analyzed and isolated elements of the figure and their difficultness was evaluated in both surveyed groups. Outcomes of this master thesis could contribute to the present knowledge of the diagnostic possibilities of...

In den letzten Jahren wurde es dank der Entwicklung moderner Bildgebungsverfahren möglich, die neuronalen Korrelate kognitiver Arbeitsprozesse teilweise aufzudecken und immer besser zu verstehen. Durch diese Fortschritte ist es heute möglich, diese identifizierten Systeme im Rahmen der Erforschung psychiatrischer Erkrankungen auf Dysregulationen zu untersuchen. Dabei wird seit einigen Jahren der Suche nach Endophänotypen eine tragende Rolle zuteil. Endophänotypen befinden sich dabei intermediär zwischen dem klinischen Phänotyp und dem für die Krankheit kodierenden Genotyp. Ihre Identifizierung soll in Zukunft dazu beitragen, das nach neuesten Erkenntnissen nicht mehr aktuelle psychiatrische Klassifikationssystem zu reformieren und damit eine krankheitsgerechtere Einteilung der einzelnen Diagnosegruppen zu gewährleisten. In diesem Rahmen wurden in der hier vorliegenden Arbeit drei verschiedene neuronale Systeme, die dem Belohnungssystem, dem verbalen sowie visuell-räumlichen Arbeitsgedächtnis und den Aufmerksamkeitsprozessen zugrunde liegen, in Bezug auf ihre Relevanz als potentielle Endophänotypen getestet. 20 erstgradige Angehörige von schizophrenen Patienten unterzogen sich in diesem Zuge einer etwa einstündigen fMRT- Untersuchung, während der sie Aufgaben zur Aktivierung dieser neuronalen Netzwerke lösen sollten. Die dabei gemachten Funde indizieren Dysregulationen verschiedener neuronaler Areale während aller Aufgaben. In Bezug auf vorherige Studien zu Endophänotypen sowohl mit Angehörigen als auch mit Schizophrenen konnten diese Funde in den wissenschaftlichen Hintergrund eingeordnet werden. Dabei konnten einige vielversprechende Beobachtungen festgehalten werden. Es ergaben sich potentielle Endophänotypen in Bereichen neuronaler Hirnstrukturen, die der Verarbeitung von kognitiven Kontrollprozessen zugrunde liegen. Des Weiteren konnte eine Dysregulation vor allem des rechten anterioren Thalamus konstatiert werden. Auch Hyperaktivierungen in Arealen des PFCs und im prämotorischen Kortex konnten ebenfalls durch Funde anderer Studien bestätigt werden. Zusammenfassend stehen die wissenschaftlichen Forschungen zur Endophänotypenfrage wohl noch am Anfang eines langen, jedoch sehr vielversprechenden Weges, der die aktuellen Klassifikationssysteme in Zukunft revolutionieren könnte. Die ersten Schritte sind getan und müssen nun in weiteren, umfangreicheren und möglicherweise auch präziseren Studien fortgeführt werden.