About Dr Van Zyl

Dr Van Zyl grew up in Gansbaai, and matriculated from Hermanus High School. He studied medicine at Stellenbosch University’s Tygerberg campus, graduating in 2012.

His path to psychiatry took the scenic route. After his internship in Pietermaritzburg, a year as a community service doctor in Vredendal won his heart for the West Coast, where he still has ties. He then moved to Worcester, where he worked in the psychiatry department at Worcester Provincial Hospital and completed the Diploma in Mental Health.

After this, he worked as a general practitioner and district surgeon in small towns across the country, including Vanrhynsdorp and Jan Kempdorp.

He went on to train as a psychiatrist at the University of Cape Town, and later worked as a consultant at Lentegeur Hospital before venturing into private practice.

Dr Van Zyl treats the full range of psychiatric conditions, from depression, anxiety and trauma to bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders and beyond.

He has a particular interest in patients whose physical health impacts their psychiatric needs. If you live with a heart condition, diabetes, kidney or liver disease, an autoimmune disorder or HIV, are undergoing chemotherapy, or take several medications at once, you can expect a careful, joined-up approach where your psychiatric treatment works safely alongside everything else.

Away from the consulting room, Dr Van Zyl spends most of his time with his wife and their two young daughters. He can also often be spotted in the neighbourhood chasing after Faffa, the family’s miniature dachshund. In his spare time, he enjoys reading non-fiction books and poetry, playing old-school computer games, getting lost in good music or exploring a new corner of South Africa. He also has a soft spot for contemporary South African art.