BY WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION(WHO)

“Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

Most psychiatric disorders have their onset in childhood, but sadly left undiagnosed until quite late. This delay results in the disruption of the children’s global functioning (interfering with normal development, deteriorating academic and poor social skills). Youth mental health care would therefore require intervention from various professionals (Child (paediatric) psychiatrist, occupational therapist, social workers and psychologists) and it’s always difficult for families to know where to start.

About

DR. N S Z Tema

Dr Tema’s interest in working with families whose children suffer from psychiatric illnesses developed from the time he was training as a medical doctor. He has always appreciated the importance of educating families about mental health illnesses and addressing common myths and stereotypes that are making rounds fueling the stigma. His other focus is offering families’ integrated care.

Dr Tema is a medical doctor that has specialized in psychiatry and further on specialized in child and adolescent psychiatry. His extensive experience in both state and private mental health care has served to highlight how families can get desperate and highly vulnerable.

He is currently working part-time in Tara Hospital (Adolescent Inpatient and Eating Disorders Unit) and runs a private practice from the Family and Child Therapy Centre in Melville. His involvement in the state has kept him actively involved in teaching nurses, medical students, medical doctors specializing in psychiatry and allied medical professionals through the University of the Witwatersrand.

His qualifications include: an undergraduate medical degree (MBBCh) through the University of the Witwatersrand, psychiatry specialist qualification (F C Psych) and a child and adolescent sub-specialist qualification (Cert Child Psych) through the Colleges of Medicine (CMSA). He has also attained a masters degree (MMed Psychiatry) through Wits University.

Experience

United Kingdom

2 years in various NHS boroughs, mental health services

South Africa

His qualifications include: an undergraduate medical degree (MBBCh) through the University of the Witwatersrand, psychiatry specialist qualification (F C Psych) and a child and adolescent sub-specialist qualification (Cert Child Psych) through the Colleges of Medicine (CMSA). He has also attained a masters degree (MMed Psychiatry) through Wits University.

Gauteng Department of Health

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry clinic at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital (full-time March 2009 – March 2014), where I established a perinatal mental health service and a weekly youth mental health clinic for HIV positive children. Child and adolescent mental health services (part-time April 2014 to date).

Academic Activities

  1. Successfully hosted a child and adolescent two-day conference for South Africa & USA Collaboration for 3-4 September 2015.
  2. Currently writing a book chapter for a book on Comparative Global Psychosomatic Medicine. With Prof. Hoyle Leigh (San Francisco) and Prof B Janse van Rensburg (SA).
  3. Supervision of several candidates in masters in medicine from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Founder and manager of Family and Child Therapy Centre (2013)

The setting provides families with integrated neurodevelopmental and psychological/psychiatric care. The professionals that offer services from the site include: General psychiatrist, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician, etc.). The services continue to expand as needs from our clients are identified.

Workshops

I have also started doing workshops to train general practitioners on common mental health conditions with a group other psychiatrist colleagues and exploring avenues to reach out to the community at large. I have done some workshops for teachers at schools on conditions that affect learners and disrupt effective learning.

Presentations

The following papers were presented:

2011 – Wits Neuroscience annual research days:
Psychiatric consultations and the management of associated co-morbid medical conditions in a regional referral hospital.
2011 – SASOP Annual conference poster presentation:
Psychiatric consultations and the management of associated co-morbid medical conditions in a regional referral hospital.

  1. I presented three papers at the International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professionals (IACAPAP) 2014, Durban:

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in the Southern Region: Is there hope in the horizon (Symposium)

Publications

  1. Tema, N.; Sodi, T. Race, Culture, and Psychiatry in South Africa. (Chapter 17). Critical Psychiatry and Mental Health: Exploring the work of Suman Fernando in Clinical Practice. Routledge, London. 2014. Editors Roy Moodley & Martha Ocampo
  2. Tema, N., Abdulmalik, J. Feedback on “The Helmut Remshmidt Research Seminar” (IACAPAP,) Stellenbosch, South Africa. 2013. IACAPAP Bulletin, January 2014.
  3. Tema, N.; Janse van Rensburg, B. (2015) Psychiatric consultations and the management of associated co-morbid medical conditions in a regional referral hospital. South African Journal of Psychiatry

Services

Assessment and management of children, adolescents and young adults for the following conditions:

Other Services:

Substance Abuse in adolescents,
Bipolar disorder,
Elimination disorders (Enuresis and Encopresis), Eating disorders,
Suicidality,
Deliberate self-harm, Psychotic Disorders, Tics, Trauma

There are number of factors that can affect learning potential undiagnosed, and learning difficulties can also result in psychological or behavioural problems. Assessment of these Children are therefore able to access appropriate service once identified. These difficulties include:  Learning Difficulties (LD), Learning Disabilities , ADD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Dyslexia.
These are conditions in which children become disruptive, not responding appropriately to discipline and as such leading to poor relationships with peers and authority (including parents). These include the following: Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder just to name a few.
Children that have impaired cognitive function are a lot more vulnerable to developing psychiatric disorders than those without. Making a diagnosis will help facilitate access to appropriate support. These would include a range of intellectual disabilities.
These include a range of disorders in which the expected normal development is not achieved or has been disrupted. These are: Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Communication Disorders.
Children, adolescents and young adults are equally prone to developing anxiety and depression. These could be earlier onset presentations or develop as a result of reaction to undiagnosed difficulties (academic, behavioural, cognitive, and developmental) or as consequence of traumatic experiences like abuse (physical, sexual and neglect), or chronic medical illnesses (HIV, Diabetes Mellitus, Epilepsy, etc.)