by Rafiq Lockhat
I often see patients referred by their physicians and cardiologists after suffering a heart attack or having undergone open-heart surgery because their doctors are at their wits’ end about how to enforce post-operation treatment compliance. These people usually...
by Rafiq Lockhat
On the news the other day they were discussing the suicide of a teenager when the announcer said suicide is now the second biggest cause of teen deaths in South Africa. Disturbing as this is, it did not surprise me. In 1986, when I was a psychology intern, I worked at...
by Rafiq Lockhat
Last week I wrote about psychologist Erik Erikson’s theory of “life crises” and his interest in how our interactions with our environment shape our personality. We explored the first three of his eight stages of psychosocial development. This week I...
by Rafiq Lockhat
I saw a 16-year-old last week who was referred because of a fairly sudden drop in his grades at school. As our session progressed, he spoke of his fears regarding his mother’s impending second marriage. She was about to marry a man who had been married before...
by Rafiq Lockhat
Last week I watched Carte Blanche, which was both riveting and disturbing. It concerned the murders of Brett Golding and Richard Bloom. At some point, the investigative journalist ended up in Manenberg, on the Cape Flats, which is notorious for its violence, drugs and...
by Rafiq Lockhat
During the normal course of my work, I regularly treat people who are victims of violence. These are ordinary South Africans who have survived hijackings, muggings and robberies. Some have endured terrible beatings and torture, and almost inevitably end up suffering...
