scholarly journals Phantom menace: novel psychoactive substances and the UK Armed Forces

2018 ◽  
Vol 164 (6) ◽  
pp. 450-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alys H Hunter ◽  
T Ayres ◽  
N Moreland ◽  
A Cox
Keyword(s):  
Drug Testing ◽  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Novel Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Military Physician ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Military ◽  
Chronic Sequelae

Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) encompass a large group of synthesised compounds specifically designed to mimic traditional recreational drugs. Current UK Armed Forces compulsory drug testing does not screen for these substances, making them tempting to the small proportion of UK Armed Forces personnel who indulge in recreational drug use. The acute and chronic sequelae of NPS misuse are widely variable and associated with high morbidity. In this paper, we discuss NPS pharmacology and clinical presentation. We describe toxidromes and management of patients who have misused NPS.Finally, we reflect on the legal, ethical and military consequences of NPS misuse for both the service person misusing NPS and the Military Physician providing their care.

“With colleagues like that, who needs enemies?”:Doctors and Repression under Military and Post-Authoritarian Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-505
Author(s):  
Eyal Weinberg
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Political Prisoners ◽  
State University ◽  
Medical Assistance ◽  
Military Rule ◽  
Medical Board ◽  
Military Physician ◽  
The Military ◽  
Healing Arts

As young medical students at Guanabara State University, Luiz Roberto Tenório and Ricardo Agnese Fayad received some of the best medical education offered in 1960s Brazil. For six years, the peers in the same entering class had studied the principles of the healing arts and practiced their application at the university's teaching hospital. They had also witnessed the Brazilian military oust a democratically elected president and install a dictatorship that ruled the country for 21 years (1964–85). After graduating, however, Tenório and Fayad embarked on very distinct paths. The former became a political dissident in opposition to the military regime and provided medical assistance to members of the armed left. The latter joined the armed forces and, as a military physician, participated in the brutal torture and cruel treatment of political prisoners. At the end of military rule, Brazil's medical board would find him guilty of violating the Brazilian code of medical ethics and revoke his license.

Reflex syncope in the UK Armed Forces

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2021-001945
Author(s):  
Iain Parsons ◽  
J Ellwood ◽  
M J Stacey ◽  
N Gall ◽  
M Grundy-Bowers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Information ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
British Army ◽  
Royal Air Force ◽  
Reflex Syncope ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Case Rate ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Military

IntroductionReflex syncope is the most common subtype of syncope and, despite not being associated with increased mortality, often results in significant morbidity and costly diagnostics. Reflex syncope can be of concern for certain occupational groups and may be exacerbated by some occupations. Reflex syncope in the military is anecdotally common but the extent in the UK Armed Forces (UKAF) is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and prevalence of reflex syncope in the UKAF.MethodsA retrospective search of the Defence Medical Information Capability Programme using prespecified read-codes was performed at defence primary healthcare centres over the period of 1 January 2019 to 1 January 2020. Data were obtained on 76 103 service personnel (SP) (53% of the UKAF).ResultsThe overall syncope case rate for the UKAF was 10.5 per 1000 person-years (p-yrs). In comparing services there was a significantly increased risk of syncope in the British Army (10.7 per 1000 p-yrs) compared with the Royal Air Force (8.6 per 1000 p-yrs) (p=0.0365), SP who served overseas (16.7 per 1000 p-yrs) in comparison with UK medical centres (10.3 per 1000 p-yrs) (p<0.0001), and British Army units that regularly took part in State Ceremonial and Public Duties (15.8 per 1000 p-yrs vs 10.2 per 1000 p-yrs) (p=0.0035). Army training units conferred a significantly reduced risk of syncope (p<0.0001).ConclusionsThese data are the first to define the incidence and prevalence of syncope in the UKAF. Orthostasis and heat are probable triggers, although recruits are potentially protected. These data offer opportunities to improve the health and well-being of SP, with economic, logistical and reputational benefits for the UKAF. Further research to identify personnel at risk of future syncopal events may allow for targeted use of countermeasures.

scholarly journals ‘You’re Just Chopped Off at the End’: Retired Servicemen’s Identity Work Struggles in the Military to Civilian Transition

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 812-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Williams ◽  
Jacquelyn Allen-Collinson ◽  
John Hockey ◽  
Adam Evans
Keyword(s):  
Social Science Research ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Service Personnel ◽  
Cultural Adaption ◽  
Transition To Retirement ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Military

Promoting positive transition to retirement and cultural adaption for ex-service personnel has been identified as a priority for both social-science research and for public health policy in the UK. The Royal British Legion aims to provide support to service and retired service personnel, but to date the transition to retirement experiences of older (60-plus) ex-service personnel remain under-researched. In this article, we employ a symbolic interactionist theoretical framework to examine older servicemen’s experiences and identity challenges post-retirement from the British armed forces. Data were collected primarily through semi-structured, focus-group interviews with 20 former servicemen. Here, we focus specifically upon the challenges encountered by these ex-servicemen in the retirement transition from military to civilian life, a time of identity flux of sociological interest. To navigate this period of identity change and challenge, many participants constructed a ‘modified military self’ through involvement with the Royal British Legion as a key social support network. For many retired personnel the Royal British Legion offered a form of identification and group identity that resonated strongly with earlier experiences of comradeship in the military.

scholarly journals Knowledge and (Ab)Use in Connection with Novel Psychoactive Substances: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Psychedelic Users Existing on Online Platforms

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Mohammed-Lutfi Al-Imam ◽  
Ahmed Al-Imam
Keyword(s):  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Novel Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Sectional Analysis ◽  
Developed World

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of use and misuse of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) has been escalating at an exponential rate in the past two decades. Studies on NPS are highly concentrated in relevance to the developed world, while few have been undertaken in the developing countries.MATERIALS & METHODS: This study is observational and cross-sectional in nature; it relies on a web-based survey distributed to a population of (ab)users of psychedelics and NPS; this community was accessible via dedicated online platforms psychedelics users located on the Facebook social communication medium. The aim of the study is to estimate the level of knowledge and the extent of (mis)use in connection with psychoactive substances, including the novel ones (NPS).RESULTS: The number of participants who responded to the survey reached 458 responders. The level of knowledge and (ab)use was relatively high. The majority of participating individuals were Caucasians males from the developed world including the US, the UK, India, and western European countries. The primary religious affiliation was either agnosticism or atheism. Approximately, 26% were diagnosed with the neuropsychiatric condition.CONCLUSION: The NPS phenomenon is still a major concern primarily in the developed world. Additional studies are required in virtual and non-virtual populations. The targeted populations should include; students, medical professionals, academics, patients with psychiatric and neurological abnormalities, convicts and criminals, and even terrorists.

Occupational psychology in the UK Ministry of Defence

2018 ◽  
Vol 165 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-127
Author(s):  
Joanna Harvey
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
World War I ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Early Years ◽  
World War ◽  
Current Application ◽  
Occupational Psychology ◽  
Military Systems ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Military

Psychologists first became prominent within the Armed Forces largely as a result of their contributions to military systems, operations and personnel during the First and Second World Wars. In the early years of the 20th century, as psychology was becoming a profession in its own right, its association with the military arose within the emerging concept of ‘shellshock’ during World War I and supporting selection activities in World War II. There are approximately 25 occupational psychologists currently employed within the Ministry of Defence (MoD), operating across all branches of the MoD, within the department of the Chief of Defence Personnel, the UK Defence Academy and a small number at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. The aim of this paper is to discuss the history and current application of occupational psychology within the UK MoD.

Military psychological trauma and therapy: a review of EMDR treatment and supervision in the UK Ministry of Defence

2018 ◽  
Vol 165 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Frappell-Cooke ◽  
M McCauley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Clinical Supervision ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Psychological Injury ◽  
British Military ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Military

Psychological injury has been associated with military service, and this can result in a variety of mental health symptoms and disorders. A range of barriers to help-seeking have been identified in the military and mental health services have sought to address such factors through effective and efficient care and consultation. The use of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing forms part of a repertoire of trauma-focused therapies within the UK’s Armed Forces. This article will outline the application of this approach within the British military, along with the role of specialist clinical supervision in treating those affected by operational trauma.

scholarly journals Compensation and hazard pay for key workers during an epidemic: an argument from analogy

2020 ◽  
pp. medethics-2020-106389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doug McConnell ◽  
Dominic Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Public Good ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Compensation Scheme ◽  
Workplace Conditions ◽  
Fault Compensation ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Armed Services ◽  
The Military ◽  
To Receive

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unusually challenging and dangerous workplace conditions for key workers. This has prompted calls for key workers to receive a variety of special benefits over and above their normal pay. Here, we consider whether two such benefits are justified: a no-fault compensation scheme for harm caused by an epidemic and hazard pay for the risks and burdens of working during an epidemic. Both forms of benefit are often made available to members of the armed forces for the harms, risks and burdens that come with military service. We argue from analogy that these benefits also ought to be provided to key workers during an epidemic because, like the military, key workers face unavoidable harms, risks and burdens in providing essential public good. The amount of compensation should be proportional to the harm suffered and the amount of hazard pay should be proportional to the risk and burden endured. Therefore, key workers should receive the same amount of compensation and hazard pay as the military where the harms, risks and burdens are equivalent. In the UK, a form of no-fault compensation has recently been made available to the surviving families of key workers who suffer fatal COVID-19 infections. According to our argument, however, it is insufficient because it offers less to key workers than is made available to the families of armed services personnel killed on duty.

scholarly journals Epidemiological characteristic of pulmonary pneumonia and its prevention in military servicing through the military service under call.

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 439-442
Author(s):  
E. Yu. Borovkov ◽  
P. V. Kuchkasov ◽  
S. A. Parfenov ◽  
I. A. Tuchin ◽  
A. A. Ippolitova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Military Service ◽  
System Approach ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Productivity Losses ◽  
Infection Resistance ◽  
Activity Spectrum ◽  
Prophylactic Use ◽  
The Military

Community-acquired pneumonia is a disease of great military epidemiological importance to Armed Forces, especially among military conscripts due to fast spread of the disease, high morbidity rates, complication risks and significant productivity losses. System approach to prevention activities for community-acquired pneumonia allow to lower morbidity among military conscripts. There are two problems being solved using system approach which includes personnel vaccination (with pneumovax 23 vaccine). Firstly, activity of the epidemiological process is reduced which not only lowers morbidity rates but also improves course of the disease which is represented by decrease in percentage of severe cases and complications. Secondly, infection resistance among military conscripts increases. There is probability that this effect is caused by prophylactic use of Cycloferon - immunomodulator with wide activity spectrum.

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