There are no recent UK-wide studies, and comparatively few international ones, examining suicide in military veterans. This is despite increasing public concern about suicide and the mental health impact of serving in the UK Armed Forces, particularly following a period of intensive operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The recently published National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England sets […]
Fighting the war with drugs: How can psychedelic-assisted therapies help veterans?
Around 17% of recent military veterans in the UK report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and currently available treatments don’t work for many of these. Here, Professor Jo Neill, Dr Verity Wainwright, and Frances Smith report the findings of a new study into the role that psilocybin (the active constituent of so-called ‘magic’ mushrooms) […]
Cohesion again? Learning lessons from the ‘between’
As part of a preview to our new publication ‘OnCohesion’ read Dr Necla Acik and Dr Ajmal Hussain’s blog on why the renewed focus on social cohesion represented in the Mayor’s Independent Commission matters. Manchester’s Commission to tackle violent extremism and promote social cohesion was established because of the Manchester attack in May last year. […]
Don’t overlook old techology amid push for defence innovation
Technology policy and defence acquisition can present striking contrasts, writes Dr Michael Pryce. Government policy is supportive of innovation – and often the more disruptive the better. But the highest spender in government on ‘high technology’ – defence – often has an old-fashioned look to it. Looking closely at examples of current military projects, we […]
As BAE cuts jobs, is a strong defence sector really needed?
The announcement that defence company BAE Systems is to cut 1,775 jobs at its naval warship yards in Portsmouth and in Scotland will come as a huge blow to those workers, their families and their local communities. But, writes Andrew James, it also prompts questions about the nature of the defence industry in the United Kingdom, […]