Providentia

Looking at Torture

There has been considerable debate in recent years over the definition of torture but the controversy has focused primarily on the types of procedures used, and not the other factors that contribute to traumatic stress.  A  paper published in the April 2009 issue of the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry  examined the interaction between different stressors in dealing with torture.  The paper combined two studies: the first involving 204 former Turkish prisoners who had been tortured during detention  and the second dealt with 230 torture survivors in former Yugoslavia countries.  Information on background, political affiliations, and those factors that determined severity and psychological impact of captivity were collected through interviews.  An analysis of 46 captivity stressors measured by an Exposure to Torture Scale identified meaningful stressor clusters, which suggested that multiple detention procedures were used in combination to increase their impact. Captivity stressors included sexual torture, physical torture, humiliation, psychological intimidation techniques.  deprivation of basic needs, and sensory discomfort.  Perceived torture severity was found to be related to ’cruel, inhuman, and degrading’ treatments (CIDT) but not to physical torture.  Posttraumatic stress disorder related to war-related captivity, deprivation of basic needs, sexual torture, and exposure to extreme temperatures, isolation, and forced stress positions as opposed to physical torture.  CIDT increased posttraumatic stress disorder risk by 71%.  Fear- and helplessness-inducing effects of captivity and CIDT appear to be the major determinants of perceived severity of torture and psychological damage in detainees. Considerations on what constitutes torture need to take into account the contextual processes in a captivity setting that increase the risk of prolonged mental harm.

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Former Prison Psychologist Jailed

A former prison psychologist has pleaded guilty to aiding the escape prison of an inmate she counseled and with whom she had an affair.   Erin Danto, 35, was sentenced to a two year sentence to be served in a provincial reformatory after pleading guilty to charges of breach of trust and being an accessory after the fact to the escape of imprisoned killer, Andrew Wood.  After her sentencing, Danto simply said, "“I’m sorry,” when given a chance to speak.  Charges of obstructing justice and being a party to the offence of escaping lawful custody were withdrawn as part of a plea bargain struck with prosecutors.

After Wood fled minimum-security Frontenac Institution on June 13, Wood and Danto were caught together in a car 30 kilometers north of Kingston on the evening of June 18.  Police had been maintaining surveillance of Danto after she left her home.  It was later determined that she had supplied Wood with a cellphone and camping equipment and had set up the campsite where Wood spent five nights after his escape.

“The administration of justice suffered great harm because of what you did,”  Mr. Justice Rommel Masse said, before he sentenced Danto this afternoon.  “You threw it away,” he said. “You brought dishonour on your profession, you brought dishonour on your family and yourself and you brought disrepute on the administration of justice.” 

Her lawyer, John Ecclestone, called a client "a good  and decent person" who is paying dearly for a mistake.  Wood has been sentenced to an additional three years in prison.  He is already serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for fifteen years.

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Going Berserk

They were the most fearsome shock troops Europe had ever known.

From the late eighth to the early eleventh century, most Europeans lived in fear of the Vikings who could strike at any point along Europe's coastlines in their warships. Although the Viking reputation for fierceness was legendary, the most terrifying of them all were the berserkers.

The actual origin of the word is open to dispute and may have referred to the hair shirts that the berserkers wore into battle (the term literally means "bear fur shirt"). They were a very special breed of warriors who became gripped with "berserker rage" and often plunged into battle without fear or armour. Known as bärsärkar-gångbb ("berserker-path"), the fit of madness that descended on berserkers caused them to be capable of almost superhuman strength and endurance. In addition to using swords, berserkers were also famed for ripping into their opponents with their teeth and fingernails. Their custom of wearing wolf or bearskins fed into many of the superstitions of the time and gave them the reputation of being werewolves or warriors possessed by an animal's spirit. Some authorities suggested that berserkers were part of a cult dedicated to the god Odin (they were commonly known as the "chosen ones of Odin") and added to their fierce image by dying their bodies, drinking wolf or bear blood, and wearing animal masks.

Descriptions of bärsärkar-gång tend to be unreliable since there were so few eyewitness accounts. According to one fascinating article on bärsärkar-gång, "This fury, which was called berserkergang, occurred not only in the heat of battle, but also during laborious work. Men who were thus seized performed things which otherwise seemed impossible for human power. This condition is said to have begun with shivering, chattering of the teeth, and chill in the body, and then the face swelled and changed its color. With this was connected a great hot-headedness, which at last gave over into a great rage, under which they howled as wild animals, bit the edge of their shields, and cut down everything they met without discriminating between friend or foe. When this condition ceased, a great dulling of the mind and feebleness followed, which could last for one or several days". Suffice it to say, berserkers were not fun to be around.

Berserker war bands seemed unstoppable and became the basis of numerous sagas and legends (which is why"going berserk" is still part of our language). Just about every Viking king had his own group of berserker bodyguards and used berserker gangs to expand territory. Berserker rage was hardly limited to the battlefield however. Vikings who were susceptible to barärsärkar-gång often became uncontrollable in any situations that caused them to lose their tempers. Viking warriors who committed murder or rape while affected by berserker rage were executed or exiled. By the eleventh century, even Viking societies had enough of their special warriors and the berserkers were banned from Iceland and Norway. Organized berserker bands were eventually outlawed and barärsärkar-gång became virtually unknown by 1200.;

Later sagas and legends often tended to portray berserkers as being superhuman and, at times, even supernatural. Descriptions of their ferocious nature were likely exaggerations (there were no real berserkers for comparison). One 13th century saga described a berserker named Otrygg who "feared neither fire nor sword" but who was killed after a Christian warrior struck him with a crucifix before cutting off his arm with a sword. The Ynglinga Saga told of berserkers who "went into battle without armor, like mad dogs or wolves, biting their shields, strong like bears or bulls, mowing down everything in their path, immune to fire and iron". Propaganda or not, it certainly made a good story.

There have been different theories relating to bärsärkar-gång and what triggered the incredible berserker rage. The most commonly accepted theory relates to the use of the fly agaric mushroom (amanita muscaria). According to one source, the mushrooms would be fed to sacred reindeer. After the reindeer metabolized the mushrooms, the urine became a powerful natural amphetamine which the berserkers would drink just before going into battle (don't try this at home kids). Modern researchers examining amanita muscaria poisoning have reported episodes of irrational violence, profuse sweating, disorientation, vertigo, and a subsequent "crash" very similar to accounts of berserker range. Other psychoactive substances that have been suggested include bog myrtle, bufotenin, or just plain alcohol. Although explanations such as epilepsy, hysteria, or genetic predisposition to violence have also been suggested, the lack of any modern berserkers for comparison makes the question academic.

It's tempting to suggest that bärsärkar-gång may have been a culture-specific psychosis similar to amok syndrome but, again, we'll never know for sure. While there is a recognized psychiatric condition known as episodic dyscontrol syndrome characterized by episodes of impulsive violence and irrational behaviour, there's no way to link it to bärsärkar-gång. It's ironic that countries populated by descendants of the same berserkers who once raged across Europe now have some of the lowest rates of violence in the world. Whether their ancestors would approve or not is another story.

Does Knowing About Medical Treatment Affect Outcome?

Any medical treatment has 2 components, the first being the specific effects of the treatment itself, the second, the knowledge that the treatment is being performed (the placebo effect). So far, the placebo effect has been studied by eliminating the specific effects of the therapy through the administration of a dummy treatment. A recent issue of Prevention and Treatment outlines a study comparing the effectiveness of hidden medical treatment (lack of patient knowledge that the treatment was being  given)  and open treatment (full disclosure).   Using multiple patient samples (including Parkinson's disease, post-operation patients)  and a sample of healthy volunteers, all study participants were informed ahead of time that analgesic treatment either would or would not be administered and that they would not be informed as to their treatment status.  All experimental protocols were consistent with the Declaration of Helsinki.  Medications studied included morphine, diazepam, propranolol, and atropine.  Statistical analysis comparing open and hidden administration showed that the hidden administrations of pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies are less effective than the open ones  across the range of medical populations studied for both pain and anxiety.   In particular, diazepam was found to be totally ineffective when covertly administered.  Overall, treatments appear more effective when they are openly carried out although it remains unclear whether this is de to expectation of treatment outcome or other confounding factors.  Perceived interruption of treatment (whether pain medication, diazepam, or subthalamic stimulation) also produces a more significant worsening of symptoms than a hidden interruption does.  The authors stress the need for a better understanding of the role of psychological factors  in medical treatment.

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Child Soldiers

When Charles Taylor goes into the docket at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, he will face charges of crimes against humanity for his brutalities both as a rebel leader and as President of Liberia. Among those looking on in their quest for justice will be Taylor's most innocent victims, the estimated 15,000 children who were forced to fight in Liberia's bloody regional war.

Starting in the 1990s, Taylor first developed a military model that was since exported over the border into neighbouring Sierra Leone: raiding villages, killing adults, and kidnapping children to be recruited into the military. Boys were taken to fight while girls were taken as sexual slaves. Prior to overthrowing previous president Samuel Doe in 1990, Taylor's National Patriotic Front controlled much of Liberia. His most feared battalions were made up of children as young as 11 which committed numerous atrocities.

After becoming president in 1997, Taylor's government was locked into perpetual warfare with rebel groups that copied his methods. He was eventually forced to step down in 2003. Although his son, Chucky Taylor has been sentenced to a 97-year sentence for his role in his father's brutal government. Charles Taylor himself faces 11 charges including the deployment of child soldiers.  He is currently being held in the United Nations Detention Unit in the Hague.

Many of Taylor's child soldiers continue to be stigmatized by their involvement in the civil war and are ostracized by many elements of Liberian society. Even those with surviving family members are typically rejected and many turn to prostitution or crime to survive. Relief agencies are attempting to aid former child soldiers although they admit that the legacy of psychological trauma and suicide will haunt the region for decades to come.

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How Does Alcohol Affect Adults with ADHD?

The acute impact that alcohol can have on controlling inhibitions has been well documented in healthy drinkers. On the other hand, there has been little research into the effect of alcohol on individuals with disorders characterized by poor impulse control, such as those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A study published in a recent issue of Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology tested the impact of alchohol on subjects with ADHD (n = 10) and controls (n = 12) using the cued version of the go/no-go task (a measure of implicit social cognition). The task requires quick responses to go targets and suppression of responses to no-go targets following the presentation of cues. Prior research on healthy adults has shown that valid cues can protect against alcohol impairment. Performance was tested under 3 doses of alcohol: 0.65 g/kg, 0.45 g/kg, and 0.0 g/kg (placebo). Alcohol dose-dependently increased inhibitory failures in controls in the invalid, but not the valid, cue condition. By contrast, those with ADHD displayed significant alcohol impairment regardless of cue condition. Thus, unlike controls, valid cues offered little protection from the disinhibiting effects of alcohol in drinkers with ADHD, suggesting an increased sensitivity to alcohol impairment of inhibitory control. The authors conclude that adults with ADHD exhibit an increased sensitivity to alcohol impairment of basic acts of inhibitory control, and this may contribute to the high incidence of impulsive behaviours observed in individuals with this disorder.

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Son Confesses, "I Killed My Mum"

An Auckland-born microbiologist is facing potential charges over giving a lethal dose of morphine to his terminally ill mother. In a manuscript for a book that he wrote describing his mother's harrowing battle with cancer, 47-year old Sean Davison apparently admitted that he gave his mother the morphine to end her suffering. Although the incriminating information had been removed from the final draft, a copy of the original draft was anonymously leaked to the press. Davison, a professor of biotechnology at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, has since verified the information and stated that he does not fear being charged.

Davison's book, Before We Say Goodbye, has just been published and describes Patricia Davison's long battle with cancer and his mother's repeated requests to allowed to die.  Patricia Davison, a retired psychiatrist, was suffering from terminal colon cancer which left her in agony. She conducted a 33-day hunger strike which, while unsuccessful, apparently motivated her son to give her the fatal dose (while passive euthanasia is legal in New Zealand, assisted suicide is not). In October 2006, he reportedly offered her a "lethal drink of crushed morphine tablets" mixed in water. After calling him a "wonderful son", she took the drink without hesitation and died several hours later. At her request, there were no resuscitation attempts.

Although Sean Davison has since left New Zealand for his home in South Africa, a police investigation is underway. Following his mother's death, he has become an advocate for euthanasia. A recent survey has indicated that 71% of New Zealanders favour medically-assisted death.

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A Tale of Two Books

Since 1258 when Pope Alexander IV first called for the prosecution of witches as heretics, the Church wholeheartedly accepted its role in stamping out witchcraft across Europe. Despite growing Protestant opposition to the persecutions, the Inquisition persisted in the arrest and prosecution of those suspected of witchcraft (usually women). Despite papal bulls and official Church pronouncements, there continued to be active dissent over how witches could be properly identified. It was only in the 15th century, when Heinrich Kramer first wrote what would later be known as the Malleus Maleficarum (the Witches' Hammer), that a true handbook for witch hunters became available. Kramer had been an active witch hunter in Austria whose anti-witch activities had been actively suppressed by the local bishop. Along with his colleague James Spenger, Kramer later arranged for a papal bull in 1484 to support their writings and their own witch-hunting efforts.

Many theologians actually opposed the Malleus at first since they viewed Kramer's methods as being unethical and illegal. Although Kramer was denounced by the Inquisition in 1490, his public lectures and widespread popularity of his handbook led to its formal acceptance. We can probably thank Johannes Gutenberg for the popularity of the Malleus since the invention of movable type made the book widely available across Europe. Between 1487 and 1520 alone, it was reprinted thirteen times and the anti-witch persecutions began in earnest.

The Witches' Hammer is divided into three sections: the first section addresses the "mistaken" belief that witchcraft didn't exist. Kramer and Spenger were emphatic in linking witchcraft to sexuality (primarily female sexuality). Since women were more "concerned with things of the flesh than men" and "all witchcraft comes from carnal lust", women were especially susceptible to the Devil's temptations. The second section deals with the powers that witches possess and how they recruit others to join them in their forbidden practices. Witches gained their power by signing their souls to Satan and their actions automatically made them blasphemers who betrayed God. The final section deals with the procedures to be following in "proving" witches and their punishment. Kramer and Spenger laid out a careful description of methods of questioning suspected witches (including different forms of torture), gathering evidence against witches, and the formal charges to be used.

The book provides a thorough guide to the psychological intimidation tactics used against accused witches. Not only did the book recommend telling witches about the tortures they would face if they didn't confess freely, but also promising worse tortures as the questioning continued. As Kramer and Spenger wrote, "And, while he is being tortured, he [the witch]- must be questioned on the articles of accusation, and this frequently and persistently, beginning with the lighter charges-for he will more readily confess the lighter than the heavier. And, while this is being done, the notary must write down everything in his record of the trial--how the prisoner is tortured, on what points he is questioned, and how he answers." Any evidence obtained through torture was perfectly valid and judges were also permitted to lie to the accused by promising them leniency if they confessed. The authors also instructed jailers to stay with the accused witch at all times, otherwise "she will be visited by the Devil and tempted into suicide."

And now we come to the other book...

Reginald Scot was no Heinrich Kramer. Born in 1538, there is very little known about his life except that he came from an old English family and enjoyed caring for his  beloved hop gardens (he also wrote a book on hop farming). While he seemed like an unlikely rebel against the witch mania that gripped Europe, Scot was moved to act after seeing fourteen women in a nearby village being tried for witchcraft in 1582. After researching how evidence was gathered and used against accused witches, Scot eventually published his findings in 1584 as The Discoverie of Witchcraft. Due to the book's controversial nature, Scot was forced to publish it himself.In his book, Scot argued against the existence of witches and and denounced the prosecution of suspected witches as irrational and "contrary to Christian doctrine".  He also raised the novel suggestion that anyone claiming to be a witch was actually deluded and needed to be "guided in their religious faith" rather than executed.

Scot railed against the Malleus Maleficarum and "witchhunters" in general, stating that "because it may appear unto the world what treacherous and faithless dealings, what extreme and intolerable tyranny, what gross and foolish absurdities, what unnatural and uncivil discourtesy, what cankered and spiteful malice, what outrageous and barbarous cruelty… what abominable and devilish inventions, and what flat and plain knavery is practiced against these old women, I will set down the whole order of the Inquisition, to the everlasting, inexcusable, and apparent shame of all witch-mongers”. What made Discoverie even more remarkable was that Scot also denounced various popular superstitions including astrology, divination, charms, and witches' sabbats.He even provided a description of "harmless" conjuring tricks that were often linked with witchcraft. Not only did this make his book one of the first true classics of skepticism, but Scot is also credited with one of the earliest known treatises on stage magic.

It should hardly be surprising that the leading theologians and demonologists of Scot's time denounced his book.& Unfortunately,his greatest critic was King James VI of Scotland (later King James I of England). A Protestant convert who took witchcraft very seriously, the King's reign in Scotland was marked by some of the worst witch hunts in British history (James had personally authorized the use of torture and burnings in dealing with witches). His Royal Displeasure with Reginald Scot's book was all too apparent and, when he became King of England in 1603, James ordered all copies to be burned. It was just as well that Reginald Scot died in 1599 since he likely would have been prosecuted for his beliefs. Only a few copies survived King James' purge although the Discoverie would be heavily plagiarized in later centuries.

With critics like Scot being effectively silenced, the Malleus Maleficarum would be the primary reference for witch hunters and judges alike in dealing with accused witches for more than two centuries after it was published. Between 1480 and 1700, an estimated 40,000 (some historians put the number much higher) of convicted witches and heretics (mostly women) were executed across Europe and its various colonies. While it's easy to regard the witch trials as being a thing of the past,episodes of witch hysteria continue to occur around the world. 

The witch hunters aren't out of business yet.

When Men Harass

A study in the March 2009 issue of Journal of Applied Psychology demonstrated relations between men's perceptions of organizational justice and increased inclination towards sexual harassment. The researchers used a sample of 110 male employees of different companies in Switzerland. They were assessed with a battery of measures examining attitudes towards women, organizational policies, and personality traits. Respondents reported higher likelihood to sexually harass under conditions of low interactional justice, suggesting that sexual harassment likelihood may increase as a response to perceived injustice. The relation between justice and sexual harassment tendencies was especially marked for men low in agreeableness and high in hostile sexism. This finding is consistent with an interactionist perspective, suggesting that individual differences in hostility in general and toward women in particular affect how a person reacts to perceived unfairness. The authors discuss their results in terms of the study's limitations and the need for additional research into harassment.

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Chinese Parents Boiled Man's Head in Soup As a Folk Remedy for Daughter's Psychiatric Problems

By all accounts, Lin Zomgxiu and her husband Luo Tianhu were desperate.

Living in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan with their twenty-five year old daughter, they had been coping with the daughter's chronic psychiatric problems for the past seven years. The stigma surrounding mental illness remains especially strong in China, especially in the rural areas with few treatment resources available. In 2008, Lin Zomgxiu reportedly heard of a folk remedy for mental illness that involved feeding the victim a soup made from a man's head. Hoping to cure their daughter, the couple solicited the help of an acquaintance to find the necessary ingredients for the remedy.

Last December, the acquaintance attacked a passing 76-year old man who had been intoxicated. The body was beheaded and the upper part of the head was then boiled in a stew (apparently duck meat was added to mask the taste). Chinese authorities arrested the parents and their accomplice and has court has since sentenced the accomplice to death for committing the murder. The death sentence carries a two-year reprieve and may be commuted to life imprisonment. Lin Zomgxiu has been sentenced for destroying evidence, including the victim's bloody clothes and shoes.

The daughter's reaction on discovering the ingredients of the folk remedy her parents provided has not been recorded.

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