War Psychiatry : Identifying and Managing the Neuropsychiatric Consequences of Armed Conflicts

Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge the support and contributions of The ECOMSIR Collaborative (European Collaboration of Medical Students in Research), a non-profit, non-governmental student collaboration. The support of Riga Stradins University (RSU) is also greatly acknowledged. The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.War refugees and veterans have been known to frequently develop neuropsychiatric conditions including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety disorders that tend to leave a long-lasting scar and impact their emotional response system. The shear stress, trauma, and mental breakdown from overnight displacement, family separation, and killing of friends and families cannot be described enough. Victims often require years of mental health support as they struggle with sleep difficulties, recurring memories, anxiety, grief, and anger. Everyone develops their coping mechanism which can involve dependence and long-term addiction to alcohol, drugs, violence, or gambling. The high prevalence of mental health disorders during and after the war indicates an undeniable necessity for screening those in need of treatment. For medical health professionals, it is crucial to identify such vulnerable groups who are prone to developing neuropsychiatric morbidities and associated risk factors. It is pivotal to develop and deploy effective and affordable multi-sectoral collaborative care models and therapy, which primarily depends upon family and primary care physicians in the conflict zones. Herein, we provide a brief overview regarding the identification and management of vulnerable populations, alongside discussing the challenges and possible solutions to the same.publishersversio

Burnout and dependence among medical personnel timeless and during the COVID-19 pandemic, using surgery and anesthesia as examples

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic affects the mental health and professional behavior of surgeons and anesthesiologists and seems to have an impact on substance dependence. Question: What are the reasons for the occurrence of substance dependence and burnout in surgeons and anesthesiologists timelessly and during the COVID-19 pandemic and what improvement measures could help in the clinical practice? Material and methods: A literature search was conducted in the form of a systematic review of studies and review articles relevant to the topic. Results: Over the years it has been shown that surgeons and anesthesiologists are prone to drug dependence due to their direct access to medications in the clinical field and work-related stress. In particular, surgeons and anesthesiologists appeared to have an increased propensity for addictive diseases and an increased risk of burnout in the pandemic. Conclusion: Preventive measures in favor of better working conditions in surgery and anesthesia and better drug control (not only for dispensing but also for correct drug testing), as well as more treatment and reintegration programs under psychiatric supervision and in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team are meaningful