HISTORY OF THE DIVISION
The Division of Addiction Psychiatry developed from the realization that the area of Addictions was underemphasized and not ideally managed in the Department of Psychiatry. Prof Dan Stein and Dr Don Wilson therefore developed the outline of a Divisional structure. In 2007 we began the process of motivation for an MPhil in Addictions, which was accepted in 2008/9, and approved by the Faculty of Health Sciences in 2009. the first M Phil (Addictions Psychiatry) degree was awarded in 2011.
In 2011 a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Addictions was created to provide targeted training to individuals with an interest in addictions and to provide up-to-date training to those already working in in the field of addictions.
Our clinical services are predominantly provided on an outpatient basis, through liaison work and in outreach clinics to the Drug Counselling Centre. We use several beds in our acute admission units at Groote Schuur Hospital for inpatient care of substance dependent patients and have motivated for, and are waiting for dedicated beds to become available.
BASE
The Division has office space at Groote Schuur Hospital but part-time staff are active at both Lentegeur and Valkenberg Hospitals.
The International Technology Transfer Centre South Africa (ITTC)
The International Technology Transfer Centre South Africa (ITTC) is a US Department of State (INL) and Columbo Plan Drug Advisory Programme (CPDAP) funded initiative that forms part of the programmes of the International Consortium of Universities for Drug demand Reduction (ICUDDR).
The centre is located with the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health and aims to
(1) Support the development of national and regional drug and alcohol policies that promote the implementation of evidence-based best practices for substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery services in South Africa;
(2) Expand the uptake of evidence-based best practices for substance use prevention, treatment and recovery services including related health conditions in South Africa; and
(3) Assess and remove barriers to evidence-based best practices for substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery services in South Africa.
The ITTC will maintain the collaborations and products of the outgoing South Africa - HIV Addiction Technology Transfer Centre (ATTC), which it replaces, including the work of National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Grant Award to Evaluate Implementation of Evidence-Based Strategies for Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) to Advance Integrated Substance-HIV Care.
The South African Addiction Technology Transfer Centre (ATTC)
The South Africa Addiction Technology Transfer Centre (ATTC) is a PEPFAR and SAMHSA funded centre dedicated to providing training and technical assistance to providers addressing substance use, mental health, and/or HIV throughout the country. The Centre is based with the Division of Addictions in the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, with Dan Stein and Goodman Sibeko as Co-Project Director and Co-Director respectively. Co-Project Directors based at Brown Unversity are Sara Becker and Caroline Kuo. For more information, please email goodman.sibeko@uct.ac.za or visit us at http://attcnetwork.org/regional-centers/SouthAfricaATTC.aspx. There is also the ATTC YouTube page.
