Research abuses against people of colour and other vulnerable groups in early psychedelic research

2021 ◽  
pp. medethics-2021-107262
Author(s):  
Dana Strauss ◽  
Sara de la Salle ◽  
Jordan Sloshower ◽  
Monnica T Williams
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Central Intelligence Agency ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Undue Influence ◽  
Intelligence Agency ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Psychedelic Research

There is a growing resurgence in the study of psychedelic medicines for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. However, certain early investigations are marred by questionable research methods, abuses against research participants, and covert Central Intelligence Agency financial involvement. The purpose of this study was to understand how and to what extent people of colour and other vulnerable populations, specifically, individuals who were incarcerated or incapacitated due to mental health issues (inpatients with psychotic disorders), were exploited during the first wave of psychedelic research in the USA (1950–1980). To do so, we reviewed available empirical publications according to current ethical standards. Variables of interest included race and ethnicity of participants, population vulnerability, drug administration conditions, informed consent and undue influence. Our findings draw attention to the history of research abuses against people of colour in Western psychedelic research. In light of these findings, we urge a call-to-action to current psychedelic researchers to prioritise culturally inclusive and socially responsible research methods in current and future studies.

scholarly journals Mental health in Hong Kong: transition from hospital-based service to personalised care

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 62-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric F. C. Cheung ◽  
Linda C. W. Lam ◽  
Se-fong Hung
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Central Intelligence Agency ◽  
Infant Mortality Rate ◽  
World Health ◽  
Intelligence Agency ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Ethnic Chinese ◽  
Health Organization

Hong Kong was a UK colony before 1997 but has since been a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It is located in southern China and has an area of 1104 km2. Approximately 95% of Hong Kong's population is ethnic Chinese. Hong Kong is a developed capitalist economy, with a gross domestic product of US$301.6 billion (2009 estimate), of which about 5.5% is spent on healthcare and about 0.24% on mental health (World Health Organization, 2005). Despite the relatively low level of spending on healthcare, Hong Kong nevertheless has one of the longest life expectancies in the world (79.2 years for men; 84.8 years for women) and a very low infant mortality rate (2.93 per 1000 live births) (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010).

scholarly journals ‘No Boots on the Ground’: Reflections on the US Drone Campaign through Virtuous War and STS Theories

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-71
Author(s):  
Alcides Eduardo dos Reis Peron ◽  
Rafael de Brito Dias
Keyword(s):  
Science And Technology Studies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Central Intelligence Agency ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Intelligence Agency ◽  
Military Capability ◽  
Us Air Force ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Military Engagement

Abstract Since 2004, the US Air Force (USAF) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have persecuted insurgents in Somalia, Yemen and Pakistan with armed drones. Despite its alleged efficiency, this practice has been widely criticised on the grounds that it contravenes international humanitarian law. In order to understand the controversies involving this practice, we examine how this new technology was linked to and allowed the emergence of a new US international security strategy first applied in the Middle East. Drawing on James Der Derian’s post-structuralist theories about virtuous wars, the sociotechnical approach allowed by Science and Technology Studies (STS), and Gregoire Chamayou’s theories about drones, we argue that the US intention in adopting these technologies was not to enhance its military capability but to allow the USA to remain active in several risky theatres while avoiding the political and social costs of conventional military engagement.

scholarly journals Détente as a Factor of Modernization of the USSR in the 1970s - the Beginining of the 1980s in the Analytical Reviews of the Central Intelligence Agency

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 398-424
Author(s):  
Daria Yakupova ◽  
Roman Yakupov
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Central Intelligence Agency ◽  
Contemporary History ◽  
State Archive ◽  
Intelligence Agency ◽  
Soviet Leadership ◽  
Russian State ◽  
The Usa

Coverage of the role and importance of the economic policy implemented during the détente period to solve the complex problems of the Soviet Union in the field of intensification of production is relevant in connection with the cyclical completion of the warmer climate between Russia and the West. The study of the historical experience of the development of international cooperation, the analysis of competition for a place in the global division of labor and the results of the struggle for the achievements of the scientific and technical revolution of the XX century make it possible to reconstruct the steps taken by the Soviet leadership to find new foreign economic tools against the background of modernization challenges. The article based on the materials of the electronic archive of the CIA, documents of the State Archive of the Russian Federation, Russian State Archive of Economics and Russian State Archive of Contemporary History funds provide previously unpublished comprehensive information on the size and content of compensation agreements of the USSR with Western Europe, the USA and Japan during the détente period. The authors reveal the role of the banking capital of the USSR to ensure the country's access to hard currency and implementation of the technology transfer policy. Similarity of the strategy of containment of the USSR in the 1970s and Russia today is emphasized on the example of the analysis of the USA intelligence data. The authors come to the conclusion that, despite the considerable mobilization efforts of the Soviet leadership to expand foreign trade operations, the conclusion of large-scale compensation agreements, the creation of sovereign transnational transportation and the development of Soviet financial institutions abroad, the targets set by the modernization of the 1970s were not fully met. The USSR did not maintain the export model in the global economy during the détente period for a number of reasons.

scholarly journals Clinical and functional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing on Veterans with psychotic disorders and recently-housed Veterans

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Wynn ◽  
Amanda McCleery ◽  
Derek M. Novacek ◽  
ERIC A REAVIS ◽  
Jack Tsai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Community Integration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Retrospective Assessment ◽  
Current Period ◽  
The Impact

Background: The COVID pandemic has upended the daily lives of everyone in the United States, negatively impacting social interactions, work, and living situations. The pandemic could lead to or exacerbate mental health issues, especially in people who are already vulnerable to such effects. Within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system two populations vulnerable to social and functional disruptions include those who have recently experienced homelessness (recently housed Veterans, RHV) and those who have a psychotic disorder (PSY). Methods and Findings: We conducted phone interviews with PSY (n = 81), RHV (n = 76) and control Veterans (CTL, n = 74) between mid-May – mid-August, 2020 (“current”) and a retrospective assessment relative to January, 2020 (“pre-COVID”). We assessed clinical factors (e.g., depression, anxiety, loneliness) and community integration (e.g., family and social functioning, work) at both time periods, and risk and protective factors (e.g., resilience, uncertainty) for the current period. The two vulnerable groups had higher levels of clinical symptoms and poorer community integration relative to CTL, as expected. Regarding the effect of the pandemic, results showed that all three groups experienced worse clinical outcomes (i.e., increased depression, anxiety, loneliness) currently vs. pre-COVID; there were no significant interactions between group and time period indicating all three groups were equally impacted by the pandemic. For community integration, there was a small but significant decrease in social networks in all three groups currently vs. pre-COVID. RHV showed a small but significant increase in independent living relative to pre-COVID ratings. Finally, RHV had greater levels of intolerance of uncertainty compared to PSY and CTL.Conclusions: Our results indicate that vulnerable and non-vulnerable Veterans were equally negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of a disproportionate effect of the pandemic on the vulnerable groups may be due to the availability and utilization of comprehensive VA services available to vulnerable Veterans (e.g., housing and financial support, medical and mental health services), which may have helped to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

The Role of the Mongolian People’s Republic in the Korean War

2018 ◽  
pp. 97-130
Author(s):  
Denzenlkham Ulambayar
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Korean War ◽  
World Order ◽  
The United States ◽  
Central Intelligence Agency ◽  
Intelligence Agency ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Archival Documents ◽  
The Korean War ◽  
History Of

Since the 1990s, when previously classified and top secret Russian archival documents on the Korean War became open and accessible, it has become clear for post-communist countries that Kim Il Sung, Stalin and Mao Zedong were the primary organizers of the war. It is now equally certain that tensions arising from Soviet and American struggle generated the origins of the Korean War, namely the Soviet Union’s occupation of the northern half of the Korean peninsula and the United States’ occupation of the southern half to the 38th parallel after 1945 as well as the emerging bipolar world order of international relations and Cold War. Newly available Russian archival documents produced much in the way of new energies and opportunities for international study and research into the Korean War.2 However, within this research few documents connected to Mongolia have so far been found, and little specific research has yet been done regarding why and how Mongolia participated in the Korean War. At the same time, it is becoming today more evident that both Soviet guidance and U.S. information reports (evaluated and unevaluated) regarding Mongolia were far different from the situation and developments of that period. New examples of this tendency are documents declassified in the early 2000s and released publicly from the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in December 2016 which contain inaccurate information. The original, uncorrupted sources about why, how and to what degree the Mongolian People’s Republic (MPR) became a participant in the Korean War are in fact in documents held within the Mongolian Central Archives of Foreign Affairs. These archives contain multiple documents in relation to North Korea. Prior to the 1990s Mongolian scholars Dr. B. Lkhamsuren,3 Dr. B. Ligden,4 Dr. Sh. Sandag,5 junior scholar J. Sukhee,6 and A. A. Osipov7 mention briefly in their writings the history of relations between the MPR and the DPRK during the Korean War. Since the 1990s the Korean War has also briefly been touched upon in the writings of B. Lkhamsuren,8 D. Ulambayar (the author of this paper),9 Ts. Batbayar,10 J. Battur,11 K. Demberel,12 Balảzs Szalontai,13 Sergey Radchenko14 and Li Narangoa.15 There have also been significant collections of documents about the two countries and a collection of memoirs published in 200716 and 2008.17 The author intends within this paper to discuss particularly about why, how and to what degree Mongolia participated in the Korean War, the rumors and realities of the war and its consequences for the MPR’s membership in the United Nations. The MPR was the second socialist country following the Soviet Union (the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics) to recognize the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and establish diplomatic ties. That was part of the initial stage of socialist system formation comprising the Soviet Union, nations in Eastern Europe, the MPR, the PRC (People’s Republic of China) and the DPRK. Accordingly between the MPR and the DPRK fraternal friendship and a framework of cooperation based on the principles of proletarian and socialist internationalism had been developed.18 In light of and as part of this framework, The Korean War has left its deep traces in the history of the MPR’s external diplomatic environment and state sovereignty

A descriptive study of the prevalence of psychological distress and mental disorders in the Canadian population: comparison between low-income and non-low-income populations

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Caron ◽  
A. Liu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Canadian Community Health Survey ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
High Psychological Distress

Objective This descriptive study compares rates of high psychological distress and mental disorders between low-income and non-low-income populations in Canada. Methods Data were collected through the Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health and Well-being (CCHS 1.2), which surveyed 36 984 Canadians aged 15 or over; 17.9% (n = 6620) was classified within the low-income population using the Low Income Measure. The K-10 was used to measure psychological distress and the CIDI for assessing mental disorders. Results One out of 5 Canadians reported high psychological distress, and 1 out of 10 reported at least one of the five mental disorders surveyed or substance abuse. Women, single, separated or divorced respondents, non-immigrants and Aboriginal Canadians were more likely to report suffering from psychological distress or from mental disorders and substance abuse. Rates of reported psychological distress and of mental disorders and substance abuse were much higher in low-income populations, and these differences were statistically consistent in most of the sociodemographic strata. Conclusion This study helps determine the vulnerable groups in mental health for which prevention and promotion programs could be designed.

Condition of the Armenian Apostolic Church at the Time of Coming to Authority N. S. Khrushchev

2020 ◽  
pp. 245-265
Author(s):  
Арсен Артурович Григорян
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
National Archive ◽  
The State ◽  
State Archive ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Apostolic Church

Цель данной статьи - описать условия, в которых Армянская Апостольская Церковь вступила в эпоху правления Н. С. Хрущёва, начавшуюся в 1953 г. По содержанию статью можно поделить на две части: в первой даются сведения о количестве приходов на территории Советского Союза и за его пределами, а также о составе армянского духовенства в СССР; во второй излагаются проблемы, существовавшие внутри Армянской Церкви, и рассматриваются их причины. Методы исследования - описание и анализ. Ценность исследования заключается в использовании ранее неопубликованных документов Государственного архива Российской Федерации и Национального архива Армении. По итогам изучения фактического материала выделяются основные проблемы Армянской Апостольской Церкви на 1953 г.: финансовый дефицит, конфликт армянских католикосатов и стремление враждующих СССР и США использовать церковь в своих политических целях. The purpose of this article is to describe the conditions in which the Armenian Apostolic Church entered the epoch of the reign of N. S. Khrushchev, which began in 1953. The article can be divided into two parts: first one gives information about the number of parishes in the territory of the Soviet Union and beyond, and about the structure of the Armenian clergy in the USSR; the second one sets out the problems that existed in the Armenian Church and discusses their causes. Research methods - description and analysis. The value of the study lies in the use of previously unpublished documents of the State Archive of the Russian Federation and the National Archive of Armenia. Based on the results of studying the materials, the main problems of the Armenian Apostolic Church in 1953 are: financial deficit, the conflict of Armenian Catholicosates and the eagerness of USSR and the USA, that feuded with each other, to use the Сhurch for their political purposes.

scholarly journals Typhoon eye effect versus ripple effect: the role of family size on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tooba Lateef ◽  
Jiyao Chen ◽  
Muhammad Tahir ◽  
Teba Abdul Lateef ◽  
Bryan Z. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Family Size ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Ripple Effect ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Populous Country

Abstract Background The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted adversely upon the mental health of millions of people worldwide. Impacts on the mental health conditions and the associated predictors relating to adults in Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, during the COVID-19 remain understudied. Our aim was to investigate distress, anxiety, and overall mental health and their associated predictors among Pakistani adults in this pandemic. We specifically examine mental health issues based on the distance from the epicenter, (a predictor that has revealed opposing evidence in other countries) based on the theories of typhoon eye effect and ripple effect. The sample consisted of 601 adults who were surveyed online about 2.5 months into the outbreak across Pakistan with varying distances from the epicenter of COVID-19 of Karachi. Results The results showed that 9.2 and 19.0% of the participants surpassed the cut-off criteria for distress and anxiety disorders, respectively. Overall, the distance from the epicenter positively predicted the mental health of adults in Pakistan, and family size negatively moderated this effect. The distance from the epicenter negatively predicted distress and anxiety disorders for adults in large families, which are quite common in Pakistan. Conclusion The evidence of the study interestingly finds that the prediction of the mental health of people by their distance from the epicenter depends on family size. The evidence of this study can help to provide initial indicators for mental health care providers to screen vulnerable groups in Pakistan, a populous country that continues struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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