The Looking Glass Issue #4 by KCLSU Student Media

THE LOOKING GLASS Dec 2013

Issue Four

Careers

Pathways in Academia

Interview

Debate

Professor Wessely goes on the couch

Psychiatric diagnosis

...PLUS NEWS, REVIEWS, EVENTS AND MORE

Contents

december 2013

issue four

cover story 03

Careers focus Academic pathways

features 23

Mood and emotion regulation in clinical psychology Temporary fashion or important milestone?

Child soldiers The narcotic use of gunpowder

Intercultural relations Racing through interracial anxiety

Competition in academia Keep your friends close and your colleagues closer

31 03

Hip hop psych Review of the Ortus event

regulars 15

News and events The latest from in and around the IoP

48th Maudsley debate Enabling or Labelling

Reviews Player One by Douglas Coupland A Passion for Science ed. by Suw Charman-Anderson

On the couch An interview with Professor Simon Wessely

contact us submissions iopmag2012@gmail.com website www.iopmag.wix.com/thelookingglass facebook www.facebook.com/thelookingglass2012

The Looking Glass

Welcome

As we shuttle towards the end of 2013, I would like to welcome you to your winter issue of The Looking Glass. The magazine has had a fantastic first year and I’d like to extend a hearty thanks to everyone who has been involved over the past 12 months. From my fellow editors who have helped bring my fledgling idea to life, to the fantastic Education Support Team who have provided invaluable assistance in getting us printed. We are continuing to grow and develop, looking forward to 2014 and four more fantastic issues of the magazine. In fact, we are brimming with ideas for more special issues after the success of our ‘Focus on Women’ in Issue Three and, as ever, we are looking for reader input as to what you would like to read about. Which brings me to another thank you. For you! Our readers. Because we would have no raison d’être were it not for you lovely people. We really hope you have enjoyed reading The Looking Glass as much as we have enjoyed putting it together for you. We hope that you’ve enjoyed it so much that maybe we’ve inspired you to pick up a pen (or a laptop) and have a go at writing an article yourself. The magazine is, after all, your magazine and you can play a role in shaping it by submitting articles, giving your opinion on what we print or suggesting topics and themes that you would like to read about. However you want to contribute, we are happy to listen to your ideas! Of course, the likelihood is that, with another semester over and Christmas just around the corner, the only thing on your mind right now is the impending Christmas holiday. But, before you shut down your computer, don your Christmas jumper and run away to gorge yourself on mince pies, have a flick through your student magazine for all our latest articles, engaging debate, riveting reviews and, of course, the latest academic to be put ‘On the couch’. Merry Christmas from your Editor and the rest of The Looking Glass team!

The Looking Glass

Careers focus

Pathways in Academia Compiled by Johanna Thea Farguha, Steffen Nestler and Analucia Alegria

Advice Testimonials Resources and links

For those of us trying to strike a good life-work balance, whilst continuing to charge full steam ahead into the ambitious future we have planned for ourselves, there's nothing as unsettling as having to choose the next step in our academic career. This is partly because there is an absolute blizzard of choices and opportunities, which at first can seem fun, but becomes rather alarming as time goes by and we still haven’t chosen our “final answer”. This can make it feel as though we are still on the bottom rung of the ladder, with a very long way to climb.

Pathways in Academia

In order to ease this feeling, The Looking Glass have put together this article to provide a little insight into the world of academic careers. The information provided here is by no means exhaustive, but it shows a variety of examples as a broad overview. We feel that comparisons between different possible career paths may be somewhat enlightening. However, what might be even more relevant is to realise that no two paths are the same. Talking to any senior researcher quickly highlights how unique each individual academic route is, which is at once reassuring and liberating. To help illustrate this, we have obtained testimonials, complete with lovely photographs, of several academics from various University of London institutions at different stages in their careers. We have spoken to current PhD students, as well as more senior academics and hope that their advice and experience might be helpful in giving you confidence to pursue your own route. Of course, if you’re thinking about the next step in your career, sometimes simply knowing where to look can be helpful. There are various websites that advertise PhD studentships, post-doctoral positions or junior clinical roles, such as assistant psychologists positions. For those among you with itchy feet, there are also plenty of opportunities to study abroad. Our lists of links and resources can point you in the right direction to find out more.

Where are you coming from? Knowing where to head can often be informed by where you are coming from. What opportunities does the experience you’ve already gained open up for you? Where can you best use the skills that you have acquired? If your heart is set on psychology there are a multitude of possible pathways within the discipline. These include but are not restricted to clinical, organisational, sports, forensic, health, educational, counselling, and neuropsychology, as well as lecturing and research. Within the postgraduate path towards qualification in any of the aforementioned fields experience is highly regarded. It shows an avid interest in your chosen profession and professional environment, as well as some practical a priori knowledge before further training. Competition may be quite high though, so it is advisable to take up relevant work whilst applying for assistant psychologist positions and professional doctorate degrees (see The Looking Glass: Issue 2 for more on applying to the Clinical Psychology doctorate). Of course, if you have completed an MSc or PhD in a psychology-related field, this does not necessarily mean that you wish to remain in psychology. According to the BPS, approximately 80% of psychology graduates do not become psychologists! Evidently, there are various other professions within which psychological qualifications are highly respected and welcomed. For instance, many global banks run internship programmes and international management recruitment schemes. From these, graduates who have an interest in travelling and working within human resources, marketing, and 5

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consultancy are avidly sought after – and may soon find themselves in international employment! Beyond banking and finance, interest for psychology graduates extends to public relations, research & development, retail management, health management, and others. Skills learned throughout your academic career can be widely applicable in any number of different fields. Naturally, there are those among us who did not start out in the field in which we now specialise. This is an aspect of academic and professional life, not uncommon, which can mean a healthy infusion of disparate and often original mind sets and perspectives which enrich an academic field. Often within psychology and psychiatry, one may find people with backgrounds as diverse as medicine and the biosciences, as well as computational, business, marketing, and finance degrees. What this variety of experiences and understandings brings is exactly that — a wealth of information, knowledge and ideas. Your research, clinical, professional and life experiences may all contribute to your career development. This can be a benefit for an academic and no two academics will share the exact same career route. What is important is knowing your options and deciding that academia really is for you.

So, you want to be an academic. What next?

get to your first interview, it could be useful to check into the publicly available profiles of staff at the respective department to find out where and how you could best fit in. Transferable skills are key and it’s Whatever the field, the post-PhD world of academia can recommendable that you are also aware of areas for be dauntingly difficult to get into. It goes without saying potential development. that due to the high level of competition it’s incredibly Choosing a career in academia can demand some tough important to find a way to stand out amongst the crowd, choices. However, it is possible to find your niche by either by tackling a particular subject, being able to offer creating a personal narrative that combines your a certain set of skills or both. But how does one go about research interests and the other activities outside of this this? that help you to develop skills that can be useful in a For the foreseeable future, the old phrase of ‘publish or perish’ will probably hold true. There are a number of ways to get that nagging reference count up besides research articles. It might be worth considering literature reviews, book chapters, or contributing to an edited volume.

variety of contexts.

It deserves a mention that the academic job market may require you to move around and accept short-term or part-time roles, at least in the beginning. Competition is rife, the next REF is often looming and even junior staff are often expected to carve out an impressive academic Networking is another big topic. The best ways to build profile. new connections can be by attending conferences (the Academia is not necessarily the place to make big bucks smaller, the cosier?), editing journal articles or joining (see table below), if this is important to you. Regardless, university committees. In fact, if you can identify a if you have the patience, confidence, and determination particular need, it might be worth setting up your own to face the occasional criticism and you know what’s committee! These options are typically great ways not important to you, wisdom will guide you in the right only to peak behind the curtains of academic practice, direction. but also to identify potential new mentors. Social media Position Average salary is also becoming increasingly important: blogs, Twitter, Postdoctoral researcher £27,000 - £35,000 LinkedIn, ResearchGate, and others are making it easier Independent research fellow £35,000 - £44,000 and more fun to get involved with other researchers to Lecturer £35,000 - £44,000 talk about the topics dear to your heart. Senior lecturer

£45,000 - £53,000

The value of being able to teach is not to be Reader £45,000 - £55,000 underestimated by any academic newcomer. Tutoring Professor £53,000+ Source: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/your_phd_what_next_academic_jobs.htm, can be a good point of entry, but if you feel uneasy Dec 2013 about your skill level, it could be worthwhile to obtain a teaching certificate. So, if you still think academia is for you, read on for When it comes to thinking about your first job after a testimonials from academics at various stages of their PhD, it pays off to start early. Your supervisor might be careers, links, resources and stats from the King’s Career able to give you some initial pointers and it’s useful to Consultant. We hope you find this useful and we wish have an up-to-date CV at hand on the off-chance that you the best of luck in your future careers! someone finds out about your brilliant work. When you The Looking Glass

The Newbie Vicky Garfield University College London PhD Student (one month in)

Easiest part? The fact that I really enjoy what I'm doing, the fact that going to work every day is enjoyable. I find the networking, conferences and meeting people all quite easy too. I love that part. Hardest part? The most demanding parts of the PhD, in my opinion, are being organised and finding a schedule that works for you. Also, obviously the fact that you need to get your name out there by publishing journal articles and presenting at conferences. First steps of your academic journey:?I’d say moving from Uruguay back to England in December 2005. I knew that if I moved here, I’d go to a good university and have a fantastic tertiary education. Ever think you’d be where you are today? Happy with the choices you’ve made? No! And yes! I am very, very, very

happy. I am also very grateful for the opportunities I have been given. It's not possible without a huge amount of hard work and determination, but eight years ago I was living in Uruguay and I never ever imagined I'd be where I am today. Advice for yourself as an undergrad? Don't get too disappointed if you don't get to where you want to be immediately, as there are lots of others out there who are as good as you, if not better. Be determined, focused and resilient. Be prepared for rejection sometimes and do whatever makes you happy. Advice for others? Similar to the advice I just gave to 20 year-old me in the previous question! Explore all of your options; get plenty of advice from tutors and supervisors; be resilient; be ready for rejection sometimes; don't get disheartened; be determined; be confident; accept that you won't be excellent at everything; and be wise in your choices about your future. Think long and hard before even choosing a master's degree, as these days they are very expensive and you don't want to choose the wrong specialty!

The Finalist Olivia Guest Birkbeck, University of London, PhD Student (Final Year) and Graduate Teaching Assistant Easiest part? Carrying out the research, the programming, the reading, the thesis and article writing, etc. Choosing to do a PhD should be a conscious decision based on enjoying the scientific process. Hardest part? Things become more demanding when I need to juggle my PhD obligations with my teaching duties. While it might be tiring to work nights (Birkbeck is an evening university) as well as mornings and afternoons, it is very fulfilling. First steps of your academic journey? Discovering cognitive science, that it exists as an academic discipline in 2008, was probably my first tiny but important step in actually participating in the general scientific field. I would never have known about it had I not chanced upon it on Wikipedia.

being away from my parents. So I think in my case, it’s all about explaining that things can get better both academically and in general. That a wrong choice of university environment can be overcome given time, patience, and effort. Advice for others? I think the lesson that I learned is that a bad choice does not have to define the rest of my academic career and this is useful to all people. I often hear students thinking that their first degree defines their lives. We live long enough to have more than one career, as most of Birkbeck’s students exemplify. If you enjoy the course, it’s more likely you will enjoy the career, academic or otherwise, that it entails.

Ever think you’d be where you are today? Happy with the choices you’ve made? I don’t think that as an 18-year-old I would have been able to guess this! I didn’t have a plan nor did I know about my current research interests. I am happy with the outcome, although retrospectively I do think doing a first degree in a more appropriate and Do something you enjoy and the rest will follow. In my supportive environment would have given me an even opinion, the most important aspect of doing a better start. postgraduate degree is the journey: you learn a lot more Advice for yourself as an undergrad? Well, I was than just about your tiny corner of academia on the way. experiencing British culture for the first time, as well 7

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The Semi-Pro Dr Katrina McMullen University of British Columbia Post-Doctoral Fellow

Easiest part? Every day is different and I get to brainstorm with some of the best minds in my field. I get paid to learn about something that really interests me and in turn contribute my knowledge to the scientific community. Ultimately, I’m part of the research that leads to better patient care, which is really what it is all about. Hardest? Looking at the bigger picture, the worst aspect of the job is the insecurity. Research positions are generally short-term and competition for positions or independent grant money is fierce. Working long unsociable hours is not unusual, often expected, and it can be disheartening when the hard work doesn’t pay off. On a day-to-day basis, the most challenging aspect of the job is self-motivation; you need to structure your own time to get tasks done. How has your experience informed your current role? I have a strong background in statistics from doing a masters in research and my PhD taught me valuable skills in analysing neuroimaging and cognitive data. These are

integral to my current role. A background in psychology as well as neuroscience has proved beneficial in interpreting cognitive and psychological variables that may be affected by neurobiological changes. My clinical trial experience helped me develop effective project management skills, team management and gave me experience of working with patients — all essential skills for conducting and supervising research. Ever think you’d be where you are today? Happy with the choices you’ve made? I initially wanted to be a clinical psychologist. However, I fell in love with research whilst conducting my Master’s project on cognitive remediation and was invited by my supervisor to do a PhD. It was a great opportunity and one I don’t regret at all. However, I would still like to do my clinical psychology doctorate, as I want to work with patients directly and pursue a clinical academic career. Advice for others? If you want to be a good researcher, you need to be motivated and ambitious. You need to be confident in discussing your ideas and promoting yourself. You need to be comfortable with short-term contracts in your early research career. Most importantly, you need to be able to manage rejection and criticism, which can be one of the hardest aspects of the job. Take time to consider not just whether you have the academic qualifications but whether you have the personal characteristics for a research career. If you decide to pursue a research career, get a good mentor (either supervisor or colleague) who can help you to carve out your research path and who will champion you and your work.

The Pro Dr Virginia Eatough Birkbeck, University of London Senior Lecturer (20 years experience) Easiest/hardest part? This depends; each element places different demands. Overall, what is hardest is probably juggling the different elements. First steps of your academic journey? Not sure; I guess I was pretty much hooked during my undergraduate degree at Middlesex, which was a 4 year degree with a placement year and a strong philosophy component unusual for psychology degrees but great. I spent my placement year in a neurology department. Ever think you’d be where you are today? Happy with the choices you’ve made? No, I don't think I did. Overall, I'm Advice for others? Hmmm, a tricky one. People go to happy with the choice I made to be an academic, but university for many different reasons and these can sometimes I wonder about the discipline I chose. change quite rapidly sometimes. Embrace your choices Advice for yourself as an undergrad? Read widely, enjoy but don't be afraid to revise them and think flexibly about discovering and make the most of what university life has them. to offer rather than focusing on the degree as a means to an end. The Looking Glass

The Multi-Tasker Dr Jolanta Zanelli Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London Business Manager Easiest/hardest part? The best thing is the huge variability of demands, challenges and expectations for me. The finances, keeping within the budget, is the most challenging task. How did you get to where you are today? After obtaining a BSc in Psychology, I did my MSc in Neuroscience here at the IoP. I then took on a few parttime jobs here, which finally led to my current position as business manager for Psychosis Studies and Psychological Medicine. Whilst working for Professor Robin Murray, I did my PhD part-time. I worked as part of the AESOP (Aetiology and Ethnicity of Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses) team in which I carried out research on trajectories of neurocognitive functioning in psychotic disorders.

Ever think you’d be where you are today? Happy with the choices you’ve made? I feel privileged to work and to have completed my PhD at the IoP. I am happy with the choices I have made and would not do things differently. I always had, in the back of my mind, the paths I might choose and when opportunities arose, I went for it. This helps me in my role as an administrator to understand the needs of academics and the research environment. Advice for others? I am sure that choosing what you want to do for the rest of your life is fraught with anxiety for many students. You need to decide what you want to get out of your research experience. You need to be focused on what you want to aim for. Also, it is wise to have a plan B in case things don’t work out.

Find out more! Links and resources Ways to pay for study www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/psychological-therapies/careers-in-psychological-therapies/ psychologist For information on becoming a psychologist, funding and links to further resources. www.scholarship-search.org.uk To search for scholarships by subject or organisation. www.findaphd.com/student/funding/funding-1.asp Lots of information about funding study, both in the UK and abroad. www.gov.uk/funding-for-postgraduate-study Government advice for funding study, including information about charities and trusts. Courses at home and away UK: www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate_study.htm Germany: www.hochschulkompass.de/ec.html Australia: www.phdseek.com Canada: www.findaphd.com/student/study/study-31.asp The Netherlands: www.phdportal.eu/countries/1/netherlands.html USA: www.fulbright.org.uk/study-in-the-usa/postgraduate-study Fed up with studying and want to get a “real” job? www.studentjob.co.uk jobonline.thecareersgroup.co.uk/careersgroup/student/ www.tes.co.uk/jobs/ www.jobs.ac.uk jobs.theguardian.com And don’t forget to check university websites for academic, professional and clinical positions.

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Internship opportunities PR & Marketing intern (one post - unpaid) Opportunity: iConcipio has one vacancy for an individual who is interested in managing our social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. Benefits: The successful applicant will benefit from getting real experience of handing the social media of a dynamic start-up business and work alongside coworkers in the company to deliver this task effectively. This opportunity will give you the chance to develop and lead social media initiatives and thus gain valuable professional work experience and build solid skills for a career in PR and Marketing. Person Specification:  English native speaker with excellent verbal and written and communication skills  Previous experience in managing social media profiles  Psychological knowledge is desirable  Good organizational skills and multi-tasking ability within tight deadlines  Ability to consistently produce high quality work (strong attention to detail)  Enthusiastic and passionate about working on a project that can bring about change to students’ wellbeing  Self-motivated, hardworking and reliable  Committed to the goals of iConcipio and interested in working in a start-up company. Web developer intern (one post - unpaid) Opportunity: iConcipio has one Web developer vacancy for an individual who is interested in developing our company’s website and provide relevant information to our customers. Benefits: The successful applicant will receive real experience of developing the website for a dynamic start-up business and work alongside our graphic designer and other co-workers to design and evolve our website. This opportunity will give them the chance to gain valuable professional work experience and enrich their portfolio in order to further their career. Person Specification:  Previous experience developing websites using standard technology  Good organisational skills and multitasking ability within tight deadlines  Ability to consistently produce high quality work, with particular emphasis on attention to detail  Enthusiastic and passionate about their work  Self-motivated, hardworking and reliable  Committed to the goals of iConcipio and interested in working in a start-up company Psychologists (3 posts - unpaid) Opportunity: iConcipio has vacancies for psychologists with clinical or counselling experience. Benefits: The successful applicants will lead or participate in projects aiming to promote the wellbeing in students in Higher Education. Person Specification  Studying or holding a degree in Psychology or related discipline  Practical experience in the field of Clinical or Counselling Psychology  Excellent verbal and written communication and analytical skills  Good organizational skills and multi-tasking ability within tight deadlines  Ability to consistently produce high quality work (strong attention to detail)  Enthusiastic and passionate about working on a project that can bring about change to students’ wellbeing  Self-motivated, hardworking and reliable, good team-worker with leadership qualities  Committed to the goals of iConcipio Ltd and interested in working start-ups All posts are part-time appointments, available immediately. How to Apply: - Please send your CV to Patapia Tzotzoli at Patapia@iconcipio.com. Interviews and start dates by arrangement. iConcipio Ltd, 1 Gloucester Street, SW1V 2DB, London The Looking Glass

All in a days work

Have you ever wondered what a PhD student actually does? Do think you want to be an academic but you’re not exactly sure what this might involve on a day to day basis? Here we try to shed some light on how you might expect to spend your time at various stages throughout your academic career. We asked some of the people we interviewed how they spend their days and here’s what they told us. Vicky (First Year PhD) I go into UCL (I have a desk in an open plan office) pretty much every day, but this would depend on each PhD student's supervisor and what research group they're part of too. I like to go in because I like to interact with colleagues and it's a pretty nice work environment. It's also right in the centre of London which helps! At the moment I'm writing a piece for my supervisor and doing a lot of reading for what will later be my literature review. I'm also attending a lot of training courses, talks, seminars and meetings. I haven't started teaching yet, but since I have 4 years, it'll be something I will do a bit later too. I love teaching and definitely want to make it part of my academic career.

Olivia (Final Year PhD) Every day I try to achieve one mini-goal, e.g., finish programming a part of the model I am currently working on, or finish reading this stack of papers, or finish this section of my thesis. If I do not manage to do what I want, I try to understand why and how to meet my mini-goal the next day. This is what I do from 8:30am to 6:00pm. On some days of the week, I have classes after 6:00pm. I prepare for class (often it starts at 7:00pm, giving me an hour to read up on the relevant subject) and usually try to imagine how the students themselves will be tackling the evening’s materials. During class, I try my best to give most attention to the students that need help the most. Being a demonstrator in statistics or programming practical sessions, in my opinion, is only successful if you manage to inspire and help the students that really need help, not just the ones who are asking for help, as usually they are the better students who will do well regardless. 11

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Katrina (Post-Doctoral Fellow) Currently my role is in analysing data, writing manuscripts for publication and preparing grant applications. My daily tasks are always changing, but at the moment, I am writing a review article, which involves literature searching, collating information and writing. I’m also designing a social cognition and imaging study, which involves meeting with collaborators, writing proposals and obtaining ethics.

Jolanta (Business Manager) In discussion with the Head of Department, I have responsibility for the day-to-day management and monitoring of the departmental budget, and administration of the Psychosis Studies and Psychological Medicine Departments. This includes finances/budgets, recruitment and staff issues, strategic planning, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), advice and management information, co-ordination of website maintenance, actively sitting on committees, overseeing both Department’s MSc programmes with ad hoc responsibility for publicity and open days, co-ordination of future space planning, and health & safety issues. I also manage the administrative support staff of both departments, ensuring that the work of those staff is properly assigned and coordinated.

Virginia (Senior Lecturer) There is little rhythm to my day! Most of us try and put time aside for the different tasks we have and how much time gets allocated is dependent on the time of the year and so on. There are three main components – research, teaching and academic administration. The first involves designing, carrying out and writing up pieces of research on one's own and/or with colleagues as well as seeking funding for the studies. Supervising PhD students is also part of this element. Teaching is more than simply delivering lectures – there is preparation and assessment as well as keeping abreast of developments in the discipline. Similarly, academic administration might mean a variety of things depending on one's role – being responsible for the management of a degree programme for instance. I am also chair of the departmental ethics committee and a module leader. Other aspects of the job are peer-reviewing of journal articles and grants, external examining at other institutions and presenting at conferences.

Progressing in academia What positions can you hold on the route to professor, and how long can you expect to work them for? Our neat little flowchart summarises what to expect...

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Where do King’s students end up? In writing and editing the careers focus, we began to wonder where those who study at the IoP actually end up. So, we asked the King’s careers consultant, Sophia Donaldson, to take a look at the numbers and tell us exactly what King’s students get up to after they leave. Where do science PhD’s end up? As the careers consultant at King’s who looks after the IoP, I’d like to take this opportunity to show you a rather weird and wonderful graph: Figure 1. It’s something I think all PhD students and early career researchers should see, as well as anyone considering starting a PhD. Created by the Royal Society in 2010, it outlines career destinations of individuals who complete science PhD’s. As you can see, staying in academia is the exception rather than the rule. Whatever your Figure One: Royal Society, The Scientific Century: securing our future prosperity, 2010 career intentions following a PhD this is valuable information. The graph indicates that anyone aiming to stay in academia needs to keep their eyes on the prize; publish as much as possible, network, get involved in funding applications, find teaching opportunities etc. But the graph also tells those considering other options that they are not alone. Not by a long shot... IoP PhD Destinations So what about those with PhD’s from the IoP? What do they go on to do? Each year data are collected from graduates across the country as part of the Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education (DLHE) survey. This information helps us at the careers service to tailor services to student needs. [It can be extremely tricky to gather this information, as students graduate without updating their contact details and often ignore survey requests entirely. The conclusions we draw about graduate destinations can only ever be as good as the data we receive, so when it your turn comes, please do respond to the DLHE survey! Ok, end of plug. Back to the data...] To honour data protection agreements, the specificity of the data I can present here is limited, so I hope to give you just a broad overview of where our alumni have ended up. Data from the last five years show IoP PhD’s to be pretty employable: six months after graduation, only 2% of respondents reported being unemployed, with 73% in full-time work (Figure 2). The median salary was fairly stable across the five years analysed — varying between £33,000 and £35,000 per year. Of those in work around 45% were working in the education sector (the vast majority of whom were in higher education), and a further 3% in some sort of research and development

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role (Figure 3). This may seem to be in keeping with the Royal Society data, but given that clinical psychology doctorates are included in the data, it is actually likely that the IoP sees a higher than average retention of its PhDs in academia, at least in the six months after graduation. King’s College London is the largest academic employer of IoP PhD’s, but many other universities and research institutes also take on IoP graduates.

Given the IoP’s healthcare focus, that the data include IoP clinical psychology doctorate graduates and that a significant proportion of IoP PhD students are already medical doctors, it is unsurprising that 47% of PhD

more study, either full- or part-time (Figure 2). The type of study is unsurprising, with doctorates in clinical psychology and diplomas in CBT featuring highly. How can the King’s Careers and Employability service help you?

graduates work in healthcare. 9% of the graduate job titles in Figure 4 fall under ‘other’. Although each role represents a minority destination, these can still be of interest as they’re a little less predictable. The miscellaneous list includes university administrators, further education teachers, editors, management consultants, and social services managers. Believe it or not, after three to four years of PhD research, 15% of respondents reported taking on even

So, getting a PhD does not make a career in academia a certainty and we find that PhD students often need just as much help with career direction and development as undergraduate students. Vitae are an organisation focused on the professional development of researchers (if you haven’t heard of them already, do check them out: http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/). In 2012, they put out a report on the career intentions of PhD students and they found that those who accessed careers advice felt it helped direct their career path. While most researchers surveyed thought careers advice would have helped them, the majority did not make use of university careers services.

As IoP PhD students, you can access a range of careers services, including booking quick drop-in one-to-one appointments at the Strand with any of our careers consultants. You can see Sophia when she visits Denmark Hill every other Thursday or Kate Murray, the consultant who looks after PhD students. Simply email careers@kcl.ac.uk or call 0207 848 7134. Check out Kate’s graduate school careers blog (http://blogs.kcl.ac.uk/kclgradschool/). She also runs a range of careers events, just for PhDs and early-career researchers that are advertised on Skills Forge: https:// training.kcl.ac.uk/). Sophia runs lunchtime careers skills workshops at the IoP, which will be advertised in student circulars (so it is sometimes worth reading circulars!). You are also eligible to attend a variety of careers fairs and other events held at the central London campuses – check out the events calendar for full details http:// iextras.thecareersgroup.co.uk/rss/kingsrss.aspx.

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NEWS AND EVENTS Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

On 12th November, the IoP hosted its first Wikipedia edit-a-thon at the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre. The event was inspired by a previous edit-a-thon at the Royal Society and revolved around women in science. Those partaking were mainly IoP students (Rhianna Goozee, Zhimin He, Lindsey Hines, Lauren Moult, Steffen Nestler, & Emma Palmer). Special guests were a representative from the Wikimedia UK foundation, Sue Nelson (broadcaster and science writer) and the IoP press officer. The edit-a-thon team mainly made up of students were joined by science writer, Sue Nelson.

A discussion early on in the event highlighted that very few female professors of the IoP have Picture sourced from Wikipedia Commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/ their own Wikipedia page. After an introduction wikiFile:Editathon_for_Women_and_the_Institute_of_Psychology_2013.JPG. on how to create and edit a Wikipedia entry, the participants quickly settled on their favourite and began researching, writing, and programming. Although most of the Wikipedia editors tend to be male, this was not the case for the edit-a-thon. Most participants found the process of contributing easier than expected and felt inspired to perhaps add to Wikipedia again. This would certainly become even easier once the new visual editor is fully rolled out across the page. The organisers are hoping for a fruitful collaboration with the IoP Athena SWAN initiative and repeated edit-athons in the future.

Call for submissions The Looking Glass is accepting submissions for future editions. We accept articles, reviews, news and interviews with a psychiatry, psychology or neuroscience theme. So get creative and send us your articles at: iopmag2012@gmail.com For more detailed submission criteria visit: www.iopmag.wix.com/thelookingglass

KCL renews Bronze Athena SWAN award Following the Athena SWAN Self Assessment Team’s work over the last year, departmental meetings have been held to disseminate the findings of the Athena SWAN assessments and to share the action plans that have been subsequently developed.

and respond to the proposals. We hope you managed to get along to one of the meetings and share your views!

The good news is that KCL has renewed its Bronze Award, which means that the IoP can now apply for a Silver! So look out for more great work from the Athena These meetings were designed as a forum in which SWAN team and great events in the Inspiring Women those who are likely to be affected can ask questions Series.

King’s Awards 2013 The King’s Awards were held this November and representatives of the IoP were out in force, receiving nominations in many of the categories and scooping three prizes!

Experience’. The College Supervisory Excellence Award was awarded to Professor Ulrike Schmidt, from the Eating Disorders Unit. Meanwhile, the IoP ATHENA swan self-assessment team were chosen from amongst various departmental teams at KCL to receive the We are happy to say that our very own Professor Susan ATHENA swan award. Lea (Vice-Dean of Education) and Richard Barnard (Director of Administration) were jointly nominated and Well done to all the nominees and prize winners! won ‘Most Outstanding Contribution to the Student

Got a good story? If you know of any newsworthy stories that we can report in our next issue or on our webpages, then contact us at iopmag2012@gmail.com

ENABLING... OR LABELLING? FOR

"This House believes that psychiatric diagnosis has advanced the care of people with mental health problems."

Professor Anthony David

I don't really care much for the systems we have, they are imperfect and I hope they will improve. But what about the process of diagnosis? Our critics will say it is labelling and reductionism, that it tries to force mental health problems to become just like scurvy or haemorrhoids and instead they are a complex interplay between biology, psychology and culture. But I’ve got a confession to make: I'm Tony David and I am a reductionist. Reductionism is the essential and necessary first step of any rigorous understanding of the world. But the opposition will say that psychiatric diagnoses are not like medical diagnoses because they take a spectrum of human behaviour and arbitrarily put a cut-off and call that disorder. But, hang on! That’s not about psychiatry. Think about obesity, think about diabetes, think about high blood pressure. These are continuums and doctors show that there is a level above which you're at increased risk of heart disease or stroke. Well, it works very well in medicine and it works pretty well in psychiatry as well. Depression is a spectrum and perhaps there's a cut-off above which you are at risk of suicide. Isn’t diagnosis playing into the hands of the evil pharmaceutical industry and we are useful idiots to come up with the spurious diseases, whilst they come up with equally spurious remedies? But, medicalization of everyday life is a reality and is not just about mental health. It’s much broader and it does have its dangers, so we need to debate it. What's the answer to over-medicalization and big pharma? Diagnosis. Good diagnosis, proper diagnosis, rational, careful, respectful, and collaborative, real diagnosis. Diagnosis is a form of reasoning, it’s the beginning of problem solving. A diagnosis takes the cacophony of life and finds a tune. A diagnosis is a form of reductionism, that is true, but in the service of understanding. It enables psychiatry and also individuals, patients, and therapists to find order and meaning. Most importantly it facilitates learning by trial and error and provides a framework to disseminate knowledge. Without diagnosis every problem appears as if it's the first time, every solution has to be hard earned and new and every day is like Groundhog Day.

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AGAINST Dr Felicity Callard Let’s be clear what this debate is actually about: whether psychiatric diagnosis has advanced care for people with mental health problems. I speak as a historian of psychiatry, a social scientist and as someone with first-hand experience of psychiatric diagnosis. From none of those vantage points do I see evidence that psychiatric diagnosis has demonstrably advanced care on the ground. Let me give two strong arguments why. Argument one: if we put together a list of important things that have advanced psychiatric care, psychiatric diagnosis simply isn't on the list. While many clinicians focus on their own spaces of clinical care, this is a very small part of a much more extensive landscape. Care largely takes place in homes and communities. Much of it is not carried out by health and social services but by families, by friends, and members of communities in educational settings and faith settings. Within the mental health system itself, the interventions that have advanced care the most on the ground have not been diagnosis-specific, such as innovative community mental health provision, day hospitals, improved staffing and buildings. Outside of psychiatry, successful interventions include peer support and crisis intervention, hearing voices groups, which set to one side, ignore or work outside of psychiatric diagnosis. So, the list of things that have advanced care, in other words, are social, legal and policy innovations that have little or nothing to do with psychiatric diagnosis. Argument two: the ways in which psychiatric diagnosis has impeded or harmed the provision of care outweigh the ways in which diagnosis might have advanced it. The examples are numerous. I focus on just one and I ask you to stop getting obsessed with what's going on in the South London and Maudsley Trust. Lift your gaze elsewhere. Across many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, it is sloppily practiced psychiatric diagnosis that is the linchpin that leads to long-term institutionalisation. Care is inadequate at best and, according to a number of judgements from the European Court of Human Rights, constitutive of inhumane and degrading treatment at worst, because of the grotesque conditions of many of those institutions. The motion is about what psychiatric diagnosis has achieved in the world, it’s not about Tony's rarefied discussion of the most appropriate taxonomic systems. Psychiatric diagnosis has been largely irrelevant to advances in the care of people with mental health problems at best and harmful at worst.

“I think diagnosis is no more than a tool and a tool can be used well or less well. A knife is a tool, you can use it to kill people or you can use for a number of useful things. Diagnosis as a tool is necessary not only for psychiatry, but also for all medicine, and we should

“Whether we like it or not, when we speak of

learn how to use it well.”

mental illness specifically, we are involved with

Professor Norman Sartorius, speaking for the motion.

a territory that is in essence meaningful, relational and value-laden. It is a world that cannot be grasped with the same form of medical epistemology that works well in the field of cardiology and endocrinology.” Dr Pat Bracken, speaking against the motion

This is an abridged version of the 48th Maudsley Debate that took place in June 2013 and coincided with the publication of the 5th edition of DSM-5. The transcripts have been edited for clarity and the word count reduced, whilst at all times attempting to maintain the original meaning. The speakers were not part of this process. To listen to this debate in full, or other Maudsley Debates in the series, you will find the podcasts at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/news/debates/debates-archive.aspx .

Book Reviews Player One

By Douglas Coupland Five strangers are stranded in an airport cocktail lounge for five hours, whilst the world as they (and we) know it faces disaster and chaos after the price of oil skyrockets. This is the setting for Douglas Coupland’s Player One, a book with an intriguing mix of drama (including snipers, chemical fallout and sex) and soul-searching questioning. It’s an interesting setup. What better time to contemplate life, death and beyond than at the moment life becomes that little bit more precarious? One central theme of the book is time and the way in which individuals perceive it differently. Each chapter comprises a narrative from five characters, including a disembodied voice known as Player One. Half of these narratives are in the present tense and the other half in past tense. Exploring the same events from different perspectives is an effective method to illustrate the way in which people can experience and interpret the same event in entirely different ways. Part of this exploration of time deals with the character’s attempts to create a story of their life, and the difficulties of creating

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a linear narrative of this kind in a capitalist world. This desire to impose a storyline on life seems further complicated by a sense of fluidity between personal, individual concerns and those that span cultures and time periods. The main characters – a divorcee, an alcoholic, a runaway pastor and a young girl with prosopagnosia – all have their own problems but are united in their overarching concern with life, religion, and time. Their preoccupation with their own lives goes on, despite the fact that outside the world is falling apart. Along the same lines, the tagline of the book ‘What is to Become of Us?’ is ambiguous. After all, it could refer to ‘us’ as a human race and may be an admonition against our reliance on oil and all that this signifies. Alternatively, we could take it to refer to each of us, as individuals, questioning about how we adjust to situations or even what happens to us after death, a question that several characters consider in the novel. Whilst Coupland manages to tackle some contemporary existential questions in an entertaining and often comic manner, for me his most insightful observations about contemporary society lay in the glossary Future

Legend at the end of the book. This glossary lists terms that Coupland has created to try to capture modern phenomena, which currently lack a vocabulary to describe them. He said of this glossary, "The future is happening so fast and furious right now, there's no language to describe all these new sensations, so we have to begin inventing one"¹. Several of his terms are immediately relatable and many are more or less subtly critical of the way so many of us now conduct our lives. Of course, all of this soul-searching and questioning might have been a bit heavy-going in another’s hands but Coupland uses comedy to lift the mood and the novel has an optimistic end. Much of the characters’ questioning regarding what meaning their lives have, and what will become of them once life ends, remains sadly unanswered. Nonetheless, Coupland remedies this with a sound piece of advice that all of us can live by, “Life need not be a story but it does need to be an adventure.” Rhianna Goozee ¹http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/10/07/rachel-wantsa-baby/

A Passion for Science

Edited by Suw Charman-Anderson A Passion for Science is a collection of stories and accounts of some of the most inspirational women to grace the field of science, past and present. It’s also a celebration of the amazing work and discoveries they have (or should have) laid claim to. From the depths of the ocean to far-off galaxies, women have studied them all, and in many cases pioneered research in their fields. A Passion for Science covers everything from disputed ‘should have won it’ Nobel prizes, to smuggling money in the name of research, to lesser known science siblings who independently made an impact in their field. And it really lives up to the title: it is bursting with passion and enthusiasm for science and the women who did it. Created as part of the 2013 Ada Lovelace day, a day to honour and celebrate notable women in STEM subjects around the world, the intention was to give the world a better representation of female role models in science. This is something that is currently seriously lacking, but the authors have 100% succeeded in this aim. I am ashamed to say that before reading this I hadn’t heard of a single woman featured and I really should have. However, I’m

Ada Lovelace Computer programmer

delighted that I now do. Hopefully everyone, male and female, who reads this book will both learn something and find inspiration from the stories about these remarkable women. A truly wonderful and uplifting read.

Emma Palmer A Passion for Science is currently available in e-book format at findingada.com/book.

Read anything good lately? If you’ve read a book, seen a show, listened to a radio broadcast or attended an event that you think might interest our readers, then let us know. Send your ideas to

iopmag2012@gmail.com and your words could appear in The Looking Glass!

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Editorial The Unhappy Generation

Being twenty-something and a PhD student is a daunting experience. Partly this is due to the multitude of demands on your time, along with the expectations of others (and yourself), which can make it feel as though you’re being pulled in several directions at once.

pragmatic idealism. David Burstein (2013) has written a book all about us called Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping our World, in which he suggests that we demand freedom, autonomy and flexibility in our life and work.

The wonderful thing about a PhD is that it is so flexible. You can come into work when you like, and you can, to the extent that your supervisor and the nature of your research permit, dictate your own activities day-to-day. However, the other side of this flexibility is that your job role is likely to be fairly nebulous. Much of the time, you don’t have specific deadlines or explicit tasks that need to be carried out. This amorphous quality is what you make of it. You can mould your PhD to suit your own interests but, particularly in the early stages, it can be more than a little overwhelming.

Perhaps, after all, our narcissism, optimism and high expectations are interrelated. This may not be a combination that necessarily makes us happy but may actually have the tendency to create job-hopping, success-seekers who don’t appreciate the slow, hard climb to success that the Baby Boomers were taught to expect and accept. A recent online article certainly seems to suggest so, and spells it out with illustrations, if you’re interested in being told why we’re supposedly so unhappy as a group (www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-butwhy/generation-y-unhappy_b_3930620).

If in addition to being a PhD student you happen to be in your twenties, then you’re likely also at a point in your life where the future feels pretty uncertain. (I can’t speak for those in their thirties or forties for whom the future may seem equally uncertain…). If you do happen to be a young PhD student, then perhaps you already have very specific plans laid out for your future. Or perhaps (more likely) you’re sitting naively in the midst of your three or four year PhD blocking out the thought that at some point you have to decide what to do next.

Some of these accusations seem a little unfair, given the circumstances in which we are attempting to build our careers. As just one example, the nature of jobs available to us (often fixed-, short-term contracts or part -time) makes a little bit of job-hopping inevitable. The days of a secure job for forty years until your retirement are gone. But how can we try to avoid the pitfalls of our generation and plan for a successful future? How do we

If you were born any time between 1980 and 2000 then, like me, you’re a member of what has been dubbed Generation Y or ‘the millennials’. As a group we have been subject to some fairly unflattering descriptions, accused of narcissism and a sense of entitlement (Twenge et al., 2008), as well as being money-focused and less interested in political affairs or the environment than previous generations. However, others have been a little kinder claiming that millennials are all about

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temper our expectations, but not our optimism, so that immediate pay out, but with the hope that it will one day we can have pragmatic but not limited expectations for put you in good stead for a fulfilling, well paid job. life and for our careers? Well, it’s not an easy task. But don’t get complacent. We aren’t guaranteed success In this issue we have tried to guide you through the because we have an MSc or a PhD. An instantly fulfilling complex and, at times, terrifying system that is or six-figure salaried role does not come along because academia. Naturally, there is only so much that one can of one’s qualifications. But you do have the opportunity get into the limited pages of a magazine and so our to work for those things. ‘What?! But I’ve worked so careers article actually barely brushes the surface of hard already!? I thought I’d walk into my ideal job as what it might be like to forge a career in this field. soon as I graduate, right?’ If this is your reaction to my Besides, as the DHLE report (page 13) shows, only 0.45% suggestion that you still have lots of work to do… then (!) of science PhDs even make it to the rank of professor. perhaps Twenge is right about our misplaced sense of Most of us will actually go into other fields, some entitlement. Hopefully, however, the prospect of diligent completely unrelated to the subject that we have spent and concentrated labour is not too disheartening. many years studying. Knowing that you will have to be committed should highlight the importance of finding something that I would guess that those 0.45% who become a professor, you’re happy to work hard on. on the most part, really enjoyed the hard work they put in. They chose a subject they were passionate about and that they would happily spend the odd Saturday night working on. Maybe they hate the grant applications or find the ethics application process a pain but all jobs come with tedious or unpleasant tasks that must be done. However, none of these things are a guarantee of a professorship. As my sister, reading the first draft of this article pointed out, many people work hard seven days a week on a subject they’re interested in but never become a professor. Naturally, there are a multitude of factors at play and only a limited number of positions. Of course, the academic world can be a cruel one and it takes a lot of passion, resilience and yes, many years of hard work to reach the gloried heights of academic professorship. Many of us will find that our passions and our abilities lie elsewhere, outside of the academic bubble. It may be that we head for the business sector, pharma, healthcare or any number of other industries where the skills possessed by PhD students are highly prized. Unfortunately, competition here can be almost as tough, so how do you stand out? Well it always helps to enhance your CV - volunteer and gain experience elsewhere or complete an internship. All this will make you stand out from the crowd. And guess what, this will probably involve a little extra work on your part (yes, there it is again). So, if you take anything from this article, let it be this: you are lucky enough to be in a position of choice. You have options. You have the luxury of being able to worry about what path to choose. Not everyone can say that. You’ve also proven your ability to work hard, to study for three, four or more years without any obvious

Of course, if you can find a career that motivates you to pursue your goals every day (or at least most days), then success is within your reach! Let’s prove the Gen Y doubters wrong and show them that we can demand freedom, autonomy and success from our life and work, and we’re willing to work damn hard to achieve it! Rhianna Goozée References Twenge, J., Konrath, S., Foster, J. Campbell, W.K. and Bushman, B. (2008) Egos Inflating Over Time: a Cross-temporal Meta-Analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory Journal of Personality 76(4):875-902. Burstein, D. (2013) Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping our World Boston: Beacon Press www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/generation-y-unhappy_b_3930620

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Mood and Emotion Regulation in Clinical Psychology Temporary Fashion or Important Milestone?

By Nils Pfeiffer Over the last decade, clinical psychologists have been intrigued by mood and emotion regulation and how they could be linked to mental health. New promise for the use of mood and emotion regulation in therapy comes from vibrant research on the development and treatment of psychological disorders. This has turned mood and emotion regulation into mainstream topics in clinical psychology. But are they only a temporary fad or are they important milestones in the understanding and treatment of mental disorders?

have been introduced. ne of the fundamental findings that has recently emerged is that several mental

disorders are associated with difficulties in mood and emotion regulation⁴. For instance, people who are affected by major depressive disorder or anorexia nervosa frequently have trouble feeling, understanding, reducing, or adjusting their emotions. Furthermore, the deficits in emotion and mood regulation are not only associated with a current diagnosis but they are also associated with the risk

for future

symptoms.

Interestingly, these associations are not specific to one

For instance, dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) combines several elements for improving people’s skills for mood and emotion regulation and has become the standard treatment for patients with borderline personality disorder. As another prominent example, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy helps people to take an accepting and non-judgmental stance towards their own mood states and emotional processes. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy reduces the risk for recurring episodes of depression⁶.

mental disorder, but rather appear to apply across Why is there such a focus on mood and emotion regulation in clinical psychology at the moment? diagnoses¹,²,³. However, the current interest in mood and emotion regulation in clinical psychology is not only driven by research on the development of mental disorders. Rather, a similar focus has emerged in psychotherapy research at the same time. Several interventions, focussing in particular on mood and emotion regulation, 23

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Psychology as a scientific discipline developed during the last century. At the beginning of the twentieth century, behaviourists rejected the notion that people’s own view of the world (i.e., introspection) represented valid data. Instead, they used experimental methods to investigate behaviour that was easily observable. But is

it only behaviour that constitutes the nature of human beings? This would be a very narrow view of human psychology and the discipline has gone beyond the behaviourists’ ideas. In the 1950s and 1960s, cognitive psychologists extended the focus from observable behaviours to processes that occur in the mind. In clinical psychology, the focus has been further extended to mood and emotion. In this way, clinical psychologists have been integrating more and more essential aspects of human life and functioning into their research whilst remaining true to the scientific paradigm. Is the current focus on mood and emotion regulation only a fleeting trend or is it a milestone in this development? In the first instance, it does have the character of a fashion. Scientific journals are currently flooded with articles on this issue, and a bulk of interventions for improving mood and emotions regulation skills have been introduced. Many of these interventions differ by their name but are hardly discriminable by their content³. Thus, the current trend is not only a fashion but some may call it a veritable hype.

greater

risk

for

mental

disorders.

Some

psychotherapeutic treatments already include However, it is not likely that the current trend will interventions referring to the patients’ interpersonal continue with the intensity it has at the moment. New relationships, for instance the cognitive behavioural ideas and new approaches are likely to supersede it and analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP), which is a it will probably merge with other trends. Similar specific treatment for chronic depression. Maybe future processes took place in strict behavioural and cognitive developments in mainstream clinical psychology will approaches in the past; they were complemented by combine more and more ideas from modern new ideas. However, the general principle remains the psychodynamic approaches, which emphasise the same. The development is not about replacement, but importance of the patient’s interaction patterns⁷. about integration. It is a development from strict reductionism towards a holistic view of human nature and mental disorders. And in this process, the current fashion of mood and emotion regulation is indeed an important milestone.

It is difficult to predict future fashions in clinical psychology precisely. But if these fashions push the boundaries by integrating new aspects of human nature, this provides the opportunity to

develop new

interventions in psychotherapy. The goal remains to What will be next? It is difficult to predict, but one further improve the treatment and prevention of candidate for further developments in clinical mental disorders. Hopefully, there will be more fashions psychology is the link between mental disorders and the which become milestones in the development of clinical way people interact with their social environment. psychology! Severe difficulties in people’s relationships confer a

¹Brockmeyer, T. et al. (2012) Psychiatry Research, 200, 550-553. ²Brockmeyer, T. et al. (2012) Personality and Individual Differences, 53, 351354. ³Chambers, R. et al. (2009) Clinical Psychology Review, 29, 560-572.

⁴Kring, A. M. &Sloan, D. M. (2009) New York, NY: Guilford Press. ⁵Pfeiffer, N.(2011) Psychopathology, 44, 152-157. ⁶Piet, J. and Hougaard, E. (2011) Clinical Psychology Review, 31, 1032-1040. ⁷Shedler, J. (2010) American Psychologist, 65, 98-109.

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THE NARCOTIC USE

GUNPOWDER By Thomas Probert

Over recent years, there has been growing academic interest in the long-term mental health of former child combatants. While the phenomenon of child soldiering is a global issue, much of the research has emerged from sub-Saharan countries such as Sierra Leone and Northern Uganda where the problem is increasingly prevalent. Throughout the child combatant literature, alcohol and drug abuse is a recurring theme and has been cited as a key factor in the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behaviour, from recruitment into the armed group to their reintegration into civilian communities. For example, children have been forced to use alcohol and drugs both as a means to make them more compliant to instruction and also to enable them in combat. Intoxicated child combatants have been used to explain atrocities carried out on civilians, and alcohol and drug use has been associated with anti-social behaviour and exacerbated mental health issues in former child combatants at the post-conflict stages.1 If a list of substances reportedly being used were compiled, it would be likely long and diverse, but alcohol, cannabis and cocaine would be near the top. Perhaps surprisingly, so would gunpowder. While the immediate and long term effects of substance abuse have been the subject of much cross-disciplinary research, as has the physical and mental health of former child combatants, the use of gunpowder has prompted some speculation without any empirical investigation. 25

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Commanders reportedly gave combatants gunpowder believing it would make them stronger and more aggressive.2 It can be taken on its own or eaten with rice, but is generally mixed with alcohol or drugs, such as cocaine, which produces a substance known as ‘brown brown’. It has also been administered intravenously, but since needles are not readily available in conflict zones, a flap is cut into the skin and the powder removed from bullets and worked into the incision.3 Gunpowder does have a history of pharmacological use, albeit a slightly dubious one. In 1915, Dr John H. Clarke wrote a book titled ‘Gunpowder as a War Remedy’ in which he proposed it as a treatment for both infected ritual. Although the propellant may have a negligible wounds and blood poisoning. Although ‘gunpowder’ is physical effect, it is believed to give the combatant modern power in the same way that it gives the ammunition ammunition, the latter uses propellants collectively power. Irrational beliefs can be a surprisingly significant known as ‘smokeless powders’, and the ingredients of motivating factor among a cohort for whom courage and still

commonly

used

expression

for

each differ significantly. Gunpowder is composed of a perceived advantage over their enemy is vital. For three ingredients: potassium nitrate, sulphur and example, there are accounts of combatants going into carbon. Modern propellants are more complex and differ battle wearing grass made ‘bulletproof’ by magic and 6 considerably depending on variables such as the type of ritual. It may be the case that the surviving combatants attribute their survival to the magic armour, so

ammunition and manufacturer. A common ingredient in modern propellants is nitroglycerine, which also has a long history of pharmacological use. Nitroglycerine has been used to treat angina pectoris for over a hundred years due to its

reinforcing their original belief. Therefore, it is not inconceivable to assume that a similar set of irrational beliefs explain the use of gunpowder in child combatants.

efficacy as a vasodilator.4,5 However, possible side effects There has been much speculation as to why ‘gunpowder’ include increased heart rate, headache, dizziness and has been given to former child combatants, its effects a and possible mechanism of action. However, there has nitroglycerine based propellant before going into battle been no considered approach into either the immediate or long-term effects of using ‘gunpowder’ and as such, do not seem immediately obvious. very little is understood as to how it affects the There has also been some speculation that when immediate behaviour or long-term mental health of the nitroglycerin is taken as a vasodilator, in combination former child combatants. with alcohol or cocaine, it enhances the effect of the 1 nausea.

such,

the

advantages

taking

Boas M and Hatloy A (2005) Alcohol and Drug Consuption in Post

narcotics, possibly by improving its delivery into the War Sierra Leone-an Exploration Fafo-report 492.Norway: Allkopi blood stream. However, as previously mentioned great AS.

²Keen D. Conflict and Collusion in Sierra Leone (2005) James Currey:

effort is made to use gunpowder when no more suitable Oxford. P. Child combatants: A Soldier's Perspective. Lancet 2002; delivery method is available which suggests the ³Ashby 360: s11-s12. propellants have some desirable effect in and of ⁴Murrell W. Nitro-glycerine as a Remedy for Angina Pectoris. Lancet themselves. It may also be that the effect of gunpowder is predominantly psychological, forming part of pre-conflict

1879; 113: 80-81. ⁵Frankish H. Researchers solve the mystery of nitroglycerin's mechanism in action. Lancet, 2002; 359: 2006. ⁶Wlodarczyk N. Magic and Warfare: Appearance and Reality in Contemporary African Conflict and Beyond (2009) Palgrave Macmillan: New York.

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RACING THROUGH INTERRACIAL

By Zarus Cenac

When speaking with new people it is not uncommon to feel a little socially anxious. Social anxiety is defined as "feelings of apprehension, self-consciousness and emotional distress in anticipated or actual social-evaluative situations"¹ and can be experienced in a variety of situations. One type of social anxiety that can be particularly problematic is interracial anxiety. Navigating through higher education usually involves meeting a lot of new people from various backgrounds and in this process we are very likely to encounter some who are from other races or ethnicities. People feel anxiety in such situations for various reasons, some of which may stem from prejudice. There has been a lot of research, for the most part in America, into the psychology of race relations. What is striking is the amount of effort many people put into interracial situations in order to manage how they are perceived.⁶ For example, regarding contact between whites and minorities, some white people tend to focus on not being seen as prejudiced, whilst some black and latino people are keen to distance themselves from negative stereotypes.¹

topic of debate, but strong theories include that it promotes empathy allowing for greater understanding and less prejudice.⁴ Whilst any race can be prejudiced against another, the pathway from contact to empathy and then to a reduction in interracial anxiety might not exist in all groups. Some white people may be concerned with appearing prejudiced¹, therefore contact should lower interracial anxiety via reducing prejudice. For racial minorities in America, when interacting with whites, appearing prejudiced is not a main concern – being discriminated against is.² So becoming less prejudiced might not affect their anxiety about contact with white people. With experience comes the knowledge of how to approach interracial contact. For example, it has been suggested that, in interracial situations, blacks showed less non-verbal behavioural signs of anxiety than whites.⁹ This has been attributed to black people being in a minority in America, which means they therefore have a lot of contact with white people. This experience of interracial contact enables them to be more adept at dealing with such situations. However, in a study with white participants, it was found that it was the type of experience which mattered rather than the amount.⁵ They suggest that having more positive contact with black people informs white people on how to behave in ways which will be labelled as non-prejudiced, reducing their interracial anxiety. Perhaps in other studies where black people were found to be less anxious, it was related to the number of prior positive interracial interactions.

With so much effort being put into interracial situations, the experience can be exhausting, so much so that subsequent avoidance of interracial contact may be desired in order to allow time for recovery.⁷ In order to avoid the anxiety induced by such interactions, some may steer clear of interracial situations altogether. Of course, this is an undesirable option and besides would be pretty tricky in the real world. Indeed, researchers have suggested that avoidance might not be the best way for the majority race to handle interracial anxiety anyway and for all racial So, the message from the studies seems to be that groups, they have emphasized the importance of interracial interracial interactions can contribute to interracial anxiety, contact. but ironically, they can also be useful in resolving interracial anxiety. What is important to note is that in the UK Experience can change opinions. For example, contact with research into interracial interactions is sparse and the members of another racial group leads to more egalitarian psychology of race relations is similarly neglected. Race is implicit and explicit attitudes towards that group as a of course a tricky topic to cover, but as James Baldwin said, whole, as well as reducing prejudice at the behavioural “not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing , level.³ ⁸ The reasons as to why contact affects attitudes is a can be changed until it is faced.” 1 Bergsieker, H. et al. (2010). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99, 248-264. 2 Murphy, M. C. et al. (2011). Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5, 118-131. 3 Pettigrew, T. F., & Tropp, L. R. (2006). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 751-783. 4 Pettigrew, T. F. et al. (2011). International Journal of Intercultural relations, 35, 271-280. 5 Plant, E. A., & Devine, P. G. (2003). Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 790-801.

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6 Richeson, J. A., & Trawalter, S. (2008). Psychological Science, 19, 98-102. 7 Richeson, J. A. et al. (2005). Social Cognition, 23, 336-352. 8 Shook, N. J., & Fazio, R. H. (2008). Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 11, 425-437. 9 Trawalter, S., & Richeson, J. A. (2008). Journal of Experimental Psychology, 44, 1214-1217.

Image sourced from Wikipedia Commons. Original photo by Mr Yuyu. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hands_of_true_love.JPG

Competition in Academia

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE AND YOUR COLLEAGUES CLOSER by Sophia Seltzer-Eade & Stefan Moredal

A saying by political scientist Wallace Stanley Sayre (1905–1972) famously stated that academic politics is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, because the stakes are so low. While this is a sarcastic quip at the university establishment, it is difficult to dismiss that a lot of postgraduate students and early-career researchers are hunting for their competitive edge. Trying to develop skills and attain achievements that can set one apart, many have internalised the premise that progress in academia is built on competitiveness rather than cooperation. Reflecting on the nature of competition in adulthood, one may find that it is actually rare to witness adults displaying it spontaneously and overtly. So, how does competition develop in the first place. Many young people have an innate desire to compare themselves with others and impulsively seek competition with their peers. Most children have a sense of what it means to win or lose and this is considered, by many, as a healthy fact of life⁵. For example, various schooling activities in the classroom reinforce the message that ‘competitiveness’ is desirable and children seem to have a good idea about who is ‘better’ at tests, athletics, and so on. Palispis⁶ defined competition as a form of opposition aimed at securing a goal and notes it is widely observed in dynamic societies where achievements are applauded. The competitive nature of the British education system persists through secondary school and on to university, where students are greeted by a whole new group of peers to compare themselves with.

tightening their budgets. But what effect does this have on the work we produce? Competition seems to affect each and every one of us differently. Some people thrive on the challenge provided by competitive situations, whereas others find this type of evaluative pressure quite aversive. In some cases, a small amount of competition can be useful for motivational purposes and it has been shown to increase the speed at which individuals carry out tasks in the workplace¹. Moreover, in terms of the overall quality of work, cooperative situations seem valuable as they can improve overall productivity given the right circumstances⁸. An early study concluded that “greater productivity occurs when the members of a group are organised in terms of cooperative activities rather than competitive”³. In fact, Canegallo and colleagues² have shown that the degree of cooperation between individuals increases as the level of competition diminishes. This would suggest that these processes go some way to contradict each other. In other words, you can’t effectively work with your colleagues if you are against them. But is this the case in academia?

As a postgraduate, your peers – at least those in your department – can be perceived as your competitors in some respects. The very people with whom you associate are those who are most likely to be competing with you for research positions, teaching posts and fellowships. The level of competition is heightened in fields such as psychology, where coveted places on postgraduate courses are only obtained by the brightest, most conscientious individuals. Currently, the Comparison is inherent in competition. Through the education system, students are trained to compare with competition for scarce resources is greater than ever, as universities respond to the economic recession by each other and, as a result, naturally feel superior or inferior. Fiske suggests that this process of social comparison gives rise to envy which occurs when individuals aspire to the conditions of higher-status others⁴. Envy is something we rarely choose to admit, but who has not felt slightly green-eyed when a colleague gets a paper published in a more prestigious journal? Let’s face it, we have all offered our congratulations to the recipient while secretly questioning, “Why them? Why not me?!”. Throughout our academic careers, we have aspired to be better and attain higher grades than in our previous attempts and those of our peers. This competitive mindset has permitted us to move up the slippery ladder of academia, enabling us to progress on to prestigious postgraduate courses and research posts. However, as 29

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competition takes hold, there is every incentive for researchers to keep their own results secret, hold back from sharing ideas with their colleagues and become reluctant to pursue joint goals with fellow researchers. This is understandable but it may also be an impediment to the advancement of research and causes individuals to look inwards at themselves, rather than outwards at each other. I am not an idealist; I acknowledge that as scientists who are struggling to survive in the current economic climate we do not have the luxury of being what Richard Kitchener terms the ‘epistemic purist’ – someone who has no interest in external rewards and focuses entirely on acquiring new knowledge. Nevertheless, I would urge you to bear in mind the benefits of sharing ideas. Recent research has found that participants were more capable of generating mental novelty and abstract solutions when thinking on behalf of others⁷. Thus, collaborations between students and researchers may permit for fresh insight to be cast on our current understanding and allow the discipline of psychology to be strengthened as a whole.

So, the question arises: will you compete with your colleagues or will you embrace them? I suspect that many of you started out in academia because you had a thirst for scientific knowledge and you have a strong desire to be involved with innovative research. Given this, you are in a lucky position. Outside of academia, it is unlikely you will ever work with people as inspiring, engaged and passionate as students, researchers, and lecturers. You are working in a subject area that you care for, alongside people who are equally interested and knowledgeable about the one thing you dedicate your life to learning more about. Academic life is not about competing; it’s about producing ground-breaking ideas. If you work with the stimulating people around you, you have a greater potential to create new knowledge that will change the way people think about things. Without sounding melodramatic, I say, put down your guns and join forces. You have the power to shape the future of psychology.

After all, two heads are better than one!

References ¹Beersma, B.., Hollenbeck, J., Humphrey, S., Moon, H., Conlon, S. & Ilgen, D. (2003). Cooperation, competition, and team performance: Toward a contingency approach. Academy of Management Journal, 46(5), 572–590. ²Canegallo, C., Ortona, G., Ottone, S., Ponzaono, F. , & Scacciati, F. (2008). Competition versus cooperation: Some experimental evidence. Journal of SocioEconomics, 37, 18-30. ³Deutsch, M. (1949) An experimental study of the effects of co-operation and competition upon group process. Human Relations, 2, 199-232. ⁴Fiske, S. (2011). Envy up, scorn down: How status divides us. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. ⁵Fraser, D. (2011). The professional practice of teaching. Cenage Learning: Australia. ⁶Palispis, E. (2007) Introduction to Sociology and Anthropology Manila: Rex Bookstore ⁷Polman, E., & Emich, K. (2011). Decisions for others are more creative than decisions for the self. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(4), 492-501. ⁸Stroebe, W., Nijstad, B., & Rietzschel, E. (2010). Beyond productivity loss in brainstorming groups. The evolution of a question. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 4(C), 157-203.

The Looking Glass

On the couch withâ&#x20AC;Ś Professor Simon Wessely

Professor Simon Wessely is Head of the Department of Psychological Medicine and Director of the Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Centre for Military Health Research. He is also Vice Dean for Academic Psychiatry, overseeing undergraduate and postgraduate education. Simon trained in medicine at Oxford University following a short stint of Art Studies at Cambridge University. His main research interest is medically unexplained symptoms and, in this vein, he began by researching chronic fatigue syndrome but switched to military health several years ago. Simon has published widely in both the scientific literature and the popular press. We sent Steffen Nestler along to meet with Professor Wessely to talk about his work on combat trauma, post-traumatic stress, and military health.

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How did you get into researching the invasion of Iraq in 2003. At this combat stress and what motivated you? point, the Ministry of Defence had Well, it’s not so much combat stress – learned from the errors that had been it’s really the whole field of military made in 1991 and we were health. My interest has always been commissioned to do an independent unexplained symptoms or syndromes. I study of the health of those who were got my Master’s and Doctorate in about to be deployed to Iraq and those epidemiology. I was doing a lot of work who weren’t. Of course, that war itself on chronic fatigue syndrome. I set up a continued and expanded in all sorts of clinical service and did a lot of research unforeseen ways. By that time, I was on that. Then in the mid-90’s, this pulling out of chronic fatigue syndrome thing called Gulf War Syndrome came as a research topic. But researching along that, clinically, looked incredibly the epidemiology of military health really interesting, very like chronic fatigue syndrome. Yet, it was multidisciplinary, I liked the people and was occurring mostly in soldiers, but nobody knew why. What was clearly I also made good links with War lacking was any epidemiological Studies, which is the other very perspective. All that was available were successful school at King’s. these cases occurring in the newspapers, saying they were terribly sick. They said something was wrong and it was all due to service in the Gulf. No amount of looking at those people one by one in depth, which had already been done, was going to get you anywhere until you had a picture of the epidemiology.

Is there a particular piece of research that you’re most proud of?

In my career, I’m most proud of the work we did on improving the treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome. The entire translational path took 20 years – from the first ideas while I was still a registrar and started working with Trudie Chalder, to So, we asked the British Government, seeing it into the NICE guidelines. if they’d fund research looking at the In the military world, well, there’s a lot health of all those who had served and actually. Just as a recent example, all those who hadn’t. In other words a after a lot of negotiating, we managed random sample, and they said ‘no.’ to get access to criminal records of all Nick Soames MP said that, in his the service personnel. I’m very pleased opinion, research always makes things with the work we did on that. It’s worse – which I thought was quite rather relevant at the moment with interesting. So, myself and Tony David what’s been happening. It’s the first [professor of cognitive neuropsychiatry time anyone has ever done that and at the Institute of Psychiatry; ed.’s been able to link up our data on note] went to the Pentagon and asked service history, deployment, traumatic them for money. This was a big issue in exposures, background etc. to violent the States and we asked, wouldn’t it be behaviour and convictions. I liked the interesting to know if your allies had work that we did as a group on trauma had the same problem, given that they risk management – different ways of did some things the same and some trying to support people after trauma things differently? They said, ‘yes, it and replace the previously ineffective would.’ We got the money from the psychological debriefing. Americans. Of course, this caused a major problem in parliament, because Although it’s rather silly, I’m also very how come the Americans were funding proud of the fact that I wrote a singleauthor paper in a big, leading history work [in the UK]? journal edited by Richard Evans, one of That’s how it started out. I started to our top historians. OK, no-one in really enjoy it. It was successful, it was psychiatry has ever read it and I can’t reasonably high-profile and it was jolly return it in the RAE/REF, but I am still interesting, and I started to get know rather proud of it. It’s about the history more folks in the Armed Forces, and of combat motivation and discovered they were real human demotivation. It was quite nice to get beings. The next thing, of course, was

something into a completely different world. With Remembrance Day just passed and a public that has a growing awareness of mental health, do you think it’s more likely that we will see a lot of elderly veterans being diagnosed with a form of anxiety disorder, PTSD or otherwise, or that past trauma might influence the way that they age? The general literature, such as there is, on very long-term follow-ups show that if you’ve been to war, you overall have a physical residue, more premature mortality and higher death rates from various physical causes. It is rather disputed as to why this might be. Some of it is rather obvious –more musculoskeletal problems and things like that. What it doesn’t show, by the way, is that they have an overall increase in mental health problems. This comes as a surprise to many people, but they don’t. There’s the classical study I love by a guy called George Vaillant. He’s still alive; he’s in his 90’s. He’s been running this study of the Harvard Class of 1942. Nearly all of them went to war – again, a massive difference from now -and most of them saw very active combat. He and his team have followed them up throughout their lives and what they found is that those who ended the war in a bad way with what we now would call PTSD though they didn’t then (not as many as you might imagine) 50 years later had continued to have pretty miserable lives and really hadn’t done very well. Those who had ended the war in a good way, pretty much stayed okay. So this idea that many, many years later, they would succumb to the psychological effects of war trauma wasn’t true. And a lot of studies have shown that: in Israel, Norway, Holland, and other places. We’ve said that, actually a lot of people in the public would think that possibly the highest problem for people in the military would be PTSD, depression or anxiety, but one of the other big issues tends to be alcohol misuse. In line with your research, what do you think could possibly be done about that and do you The Looking Glass

do you think it might also have something to do with it being kind of a more accepted way of dealing with one’s difficulties in the public or in the military? Let me take the second one first. Alcohol misuse is common in the military – it’s more common than in the general population. I think to say it’s another way of coping with your stress of deployment isn’t the entire explanation. Rates even before deployment are pretty high. Most of the determinants are either the background that people come from or the culture of the military. It’s not revealing any state secrets to say that it’s a pretty alcohol-fuelled culture. We do find, however, that those who were deployed or have been in combat during which they don’t drink - when they come back, they reinstate their drinking at an even higher level. That’s partly about the rituals of bonding, it’s partly about sensation-seeking and it’s partly, perhaps, a bit of selfmedication. But to think that the high rates are entirely explained by exposure to stress just isn’t accurate. What should they do about it? I want to be careful on that one, because it’s not our job to tell the Armed Forces how to do their job. The British Army for example, is pretty good at what it does, it’s not our job to tell them how to run things. If you work with that kind of group, you have to be very careful not to overstep the limits getting into policy. They know about our figures, that’s for sure. But although we have had some decent policy impacts in many areas, we haven’t really made much impact on alcohol, but I’m not going to criticise them for that. Running a military is a pretty complicated thing, we are but a tiny little bit of that. I want to be a bit more heretical.. As we’ve said before, the vast majority of soldiers actually do not return from the battlefield with PTSD. Do you think that this might skew the public’s perception of trauma or influence the way that government spends on mental health provision?

The Looking Glass

I’m not quite with you on that, not really. I mean, if by that you mean they would spend more if more of them had mental disorders – well no, I don’t think so. First of all, the military is very small these days. The absolute numbers we’re talking about are quite small anyway. You know, even if the rates were double, treble what they are, in terms of its actual economic impact and impact on the NHS, it would not be very much different. Spending anyway is often more driven by perception and emotion than perhaps we care to admit. I think it was the other way around, actually. I think with the fact that the military do have psychological trauma, it goes right back to the days of hysteria when, as it was gradually realised that men also got hysteria, it certainly upped the profile. It wasn’t ‘just’ women. The fact that, in this awful phrase, ‘our heroes’ can also get mental disorders, I think, almost has the opposite impact: it might increase the profile of mental disorders. For example, the guy who got the VC who went public with his PTSD – well, no one can possibly accuse him of being a ‘wuss’ or a coward. In a way, that was quite helpful. If someone who got the VC could also say that he’s struggled with PTSD then that was an image many other soldiers could identify with.

These big bases are very boring and actually, they’re not really that dangerous. We got mortared once when I was there, but I didn’t even know, I was asleep. These places are the size of Heathrow airport; they’re huge. I want to change gears slightly now and ask, do you think there will be a time where social media might actually be a part of certain health care provisions, sort of like psychotherapy with hash tags, if you will? Frankly, no. I don’t think so, but I’m sure I’ll be proven wrong. I think there’s still an ersatz-nature to this kind of communication, particularly things like Twitter. It’s fun, because it’s so curtailed, but psychological treatment, psychotherapy, is not curtailed. No matter what you do, you can never replace the importance in psychiatry, and really medicine in general, of the personal contact, of empathy, understanding, and watching, listening, seeing, all of that. As you probably know, we’re having the PhD Student Showcase today [the interview was recorded on Fri, Nov 15; ed.’s note]. What future discoveries do you look forward to your successors making in your field of research, let’s say like 10, 20 years in the future?

I believe there is some evidence that if we took the soldier and somebody who was back at the base who is supporting them, rates of PTSD would be reversed. The argument was that the soldier, upon encountering danger, could do something about it, whereas the people in the base, if they get bombarded or something, they kind of just have their saucepan to protect themselves.

Oh god, that question, eh? I don’t really know where to start. I remember I reviewed a book on what medicine would look like in 10 years’ time about 20 years ago and I found it recently. Everything was wrong, literally everything! All the things that actually happened, nobody had actually predicted. So, that’s the first thing: whatever you say is certain to be wrong.

I’m allowed to go to the big bases, but I’m not allowed to go elsewhere. Our team, however, are in uniform and do go right out to the checkpoints and the forward bases which are very exposed and very dodgy and we show that you get higher rates of traumatic symptoms there. On the other hand, you’re more likely to develop depression back at the base. Boredom certainly plays a part.

I think that so long as we don’t emasculate ourselves with stupid data protection rules, I do think that the availability of epidemiological, clinical, genetic data on a vast scale will make big changes. Our ability to maybe look at outcomes of illness, effects with interventions, particularly interventions that are very difficult to do in controlled trials will improve

dramatically. Maybe also we’ll be able to do controlled trials at a fraction of the cost by using new technologies, routine data collection on a large scale. There’s a lot we could do there. Whether or not personalised medicine will become a reality, I don’t know. I think I’m looking forward to ability to conduct, you know, what I like doing: long-term, large-scale studies on a more comprehensive, but cheaper basis, with more availability of data. As long as we can overcome the legal challenges and also the data management problems which will become very big indeed. The other thing about psychiatry is, to

be quite honest, it hasn’t changed that much in the last 30 years. Some of the rules and regulations around us have changed and all sorts of things have changed, but frankly, it’s not demonstrably, obviously different in a way that, say, neurology changed between 1880 and 1910 and became a completely different discipline. I like to think that psychiatry will have a similar revolutionary change, and if that is the case, it will come from the neurosciences, that’s for sure. I would like to think that will happen, but I have no clue when or where and it won’t come from me, because it’s not what I do. If we’re going to have a dramatic sea change, it will come from that kind of research. In the meantime, we do

our incremental best to improve services and outcomes. It might happen in your lifetime, it might not. Who knows? To borrow a phrase that Tony Blair once used on Newsnight when he was being grilled by Jeremy Paxman, and he said: ‘Well Jeremy, I don’t make predictions, I never have, and I never will.’ This is an abridged version of our interview with Professor Wessely, for the full version visit our website: www.iopmag.wix.com/thelookingglass

Who would you like to see on our couch? If there is an inspiring academic who you would like to be interviewed by The Looking Glass then send us an email. You can even act as a reporter and do the interview yourself! Take the opportunity to ask those burning questions you’ve been harbouring. All enquiries to iopmag2012@gmail.com

The Looking Glass

HIP HOP PSYCH a new conversation about mental health By Sophie Rose Walker

“I wanted to be a rapper, but you know parents - they turned me into a psychiatrist”, said Dr Akeem Sule as he opened the Hip Hop Psych event at the swanky new Ortus building with a rap. Yes, a rap. A real psychiatrist did a real rap in Demark Hill. Thank god for that, I thought, as the thoroughly enjoyable evening ensued; a generation of rapping psychiatrists has been born. This is the world of mental health I want to be a part of.

ip Hop Psych is an initiative that was co-founded by Dr Akeem Sule and Dr Becky Inkster, to present the portrayal of mental health in hip hop. First and foremost they are two bona fide professional scientists who just happen to have a zeal for hip hop and rap music. They have combined their respective knowledge and expertise to expose and examine the true prevalence of mental health issues ranging from addiction to borderline personality disorder in various hip hop lyrics.

“I wanted to be a rapper, but you know parents - they turned me into a psychiatrist” They led a jovial, diverse audience through a selection of their favourite raps by artists such as Eminem, J. Cole and 2Pac, the latter being Akeem’s favourite and whom he sported on his t-shirt (no white coats here). As they played us the beats, they stopped to break down the lyrics, and to understand what kinds of conditions and disorders were being conveyed, sometimes to the oblivion of the artist themselves. Most were spot on detections but some were rather tenuous links and speculations about the neuropsychiatric states of the artists.

problems. Project leader Peter Leigh said their aim is to “help people express things that are real but that other people would think are delusional”, because the reality is that “most kids will talk to a mic rather than a doctor”. As performances they were slightly ropey, but in a therapeutic context they are no doubt hugely beneficial. The co-founders were impressive and were by no means amateurs in either the field of rap or psychiatry. On the contrary, Akeem is a consultant psychiatrist in general adult psychiatry with the South Essex Partnership and an Honorary Visiting Research Associate at the University of Cambridge. Dr Becky Inkster is a clinical neuroscientist and Project Manager for a large scale Wellcome Trust award called NeuroScience in Psychiatry Network (NSPN), so she brought lots of genetic and epidemiological insight about the lyrics to the table.

There is often a tendency for collaborations or initiatives between evidence-based research and the arts to not really achieve very much, and that’s because it’s a pretty difficult thing to do. To use music and the arts to understand things like mental health, especially for a specific demographic type, is risky because people who are too This was interspersed with some involved in either the arts or the rap interludes by members of the science often do the translational charity Key Changes, who provide work. music services in hospitals and However, despite this duo clearly communities for people being more authoritative in the experiencing severe mental health 35

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science department, this didn’t undermine their passion for the vehicle through which they examined the topic of mental health. I just wanted to know more about how their insight could be used to actually reform mental health services, especially in a clinical setting. To be fair to them, they did stick to their brief, ‘The Portrayal of Mental Health in Hip Hop’. However, the air seems pregnant with the possibility of how such a great initiative could bring their dialogue into a clinical context so that clinicians can better understand the language of patients who express their symptoms through music. And they’re not patients in Brooklyn or L.A; they’re here, in Stockwell, right on the doorstep of the Institute of Psychiatry.

“...most kids will talk to a mic rather than a doctor” Despite the embryonic stage of the current project rendering it slightly lacking in substance and direction, the buzz they created that evening was the important thing. They made the conversation fun and accessible to non-academics and as is often the case in science, such an achievement is too often undermined. The Hip Hop Psych event took place at the Ortus on 21st November

2013.

Your Student Forum The student forum is here to help ensure that you get the best experience out of your time here at the Institute of Psychiatry! At the beginning of the academic year a new set of enthusiastic chairs took over the student forum and here they introduce themselves to let you know what you can expect from them over the next year. Shabhaz Student forum chair I would first like to say a big thank you to the previous Student Forum and all those who selected me as the new chair. Personally, I am keenly interested in our forum working as a team and so, I am very pleased to be joined by our two PGR co-chairs and our two PGT co-chairs. We also are very glad that the media chair will allow us to work closely with The Looking Glass. It may be that even as you are reading these words you are unsure who exactly your student forum are, what our role is and you may not have taken part in any of our socials. We are here to improve communication between students and staff at the IOP, by feeding back to the academic staff and other factions of King’s College about the student experience here at the IoP. We hope to aid cooperation between students and staff at the IOP in order to ensure that we have a successful academic year. We are ready to listen to any concerns you may have and to pass these on to people who can help. We also always like positive feedback to let course organizers, lecturers and academic staff know when they get it right!

Rich, Lindsey and Shabhaz at the Student Forum Christmas party

Wishing you all a lovely Christmas and New Year, Shabhaz Aaron and Yasmine PGR Co-chairs We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves and say congrats on being a part of KCL and the IoP. Aaron and I are the PGT Chairs on the Student Forum, which means we represent all the taught MSc courses across the IoP. As your chairs we strive to represent you and your needs are to IOP staff and KCLSU executives, to assure that you are getting the best experience at KCL. We also want to bring together our student community by organising social events, such as the Halloween and Christmas parties. We are always looking for feedback and ideas on how to make your time at the IoP better, so feel free to email us (studentforum.pgt@gmail.com) and to check out our twitter page (https://twitter.com/IoP_SF) and Facebook page (https:// Yasmine (PGR) www.facebook.com/pages/IoP-Student-Forum/). You can use these to check for updates on social events, but you can also stay linked in with what’s going on by checking the circulars. We hope you have a brilliant rest of the year, and we look forward to hearing from you soon, Aaron and Yasmine Lindsey and Rich PGT Co-chairs I’m one of the new PGR co-chairs, along with Richard Joules. As I’m a first year and he’s a final year student, we reckon we have the range of PhD experience covered pretty well, but we can’t be effective reps without your input so I hope you’ll let us know if you have any concerns. So far this term we’ve organised a number of socials, including the welcome drinks at the Grand Union and the Halloween night out to the Waterloo Vaults, and I’m currently the voice behind the Student Forum emails flooding your mailboxes. As I write this, we’re making Rich’s festive vision a reality, putting the finishing touches to the Christmas Party hopefully I’ll see you there! If you think of other socials you’d like to go on then please let us know. We’re currently thinking of a PhD special quiz night at The Tiger, and maybe Aaron and Rich keep the drinks flowing something a little more cultural. I’m also looking to improve the peer support available to PhD students and to make sure that there are active groups meeting up in each department. Sorry to be cliché, but you’ll have to watch this space for more on that. Happy Christmas everyone, and have a great new year! Lindsey Rhianna Media Chair And then there’s me, your media chair. As Editor of the IoP student magazine, I also undertake the role of keeping you informed via various channels, including our Facebook page and Twitter feed. Of course, my main role is to produce your quarterly magazine The Looking Glass, commissioning articles, editing and creating the magazine you are currently reading. I hope that you’ve enjoyed the first few issues and will want to read more, submit your own articles or maybe get involved with the production side of things. I’m always happy to hear ideas for improvement and want to make sure that the magazine reflects your interests and needs. So get in contact and get involved!

Rhianna (media chair)

The Looking Glass

Contributors

Editor-in-chief Rhianna GoozĂŠe

Assistant Editors Steffen Nestler Analucia Alegria Andres Herane Vives Anthony Harrison Jorge Palacios

With thanks to All our contributing authors

Artwork Photographs and artwork on front cover and pages 3,4 20, 23, 25 and 26 are the creation and intellectual property of R. GoozĂŠe. Photographs alongside careers testimonials and our On the Couch feature were provided by the subjects. Student forum provided pictures on page 36. All other pictures are the property of Microsoft Office unless otherwise stated.