Ian is a lecturer in mental health in the Department of Health Sciences, with an interest in the relationship between substance use and mental health (Dual Diagnosis).
Ian trained and worked as a mental health nurse in South London, working with people who had a severe mental health problem and used drugs or alcohol problematically. He joined the Department in 2004 as a lecturer. His interest in this client group has continued through his work with teams who come into contact with such clients, and also facilitating sessions in this area.
Oct 05, 2020 13:39 pm UTC| Technology
Were all familiar with the term fake news and have probably witnessed the speed at which these stories can circulate on social media. Fake news stories can be about almost any topic, but increasingly misinformation about...
Comfortably numb – why some older people turn to cannabis for pain relief
Feb 20, 2018 12:50 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health
When most people think of cannabis users, they probably think mainly of the younger generations. But its actually the 45 to 64 age group who show the highest proportion of household spending on cannabis. Recent figures...
Women also use drugs – not that you can tell from drug policy
Nov 27, 2017 14:51 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health
In the UK, men are more likely to try drugs than women and they significantly outnumber women in accessing treatment, reinforcing the view that male drug use is the norm. But there are limitations with the way drug use is...
Drug related deaths are at their highest level in 25 years
Aug 02, 2017 17:37 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health
According to new data from the UKs Office for National Statistics (ONS), last year saw the highest number of drug-related deaths since records began in 1993. Over half of these deaths involved an opiate such as heroin....
New Home Office drug strategy, same old rhetoric
Jul 18, 2017 13:07 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health
The Home Office has just published a new drug strategy. The last one was published by Theresa May (then home secretary) seven years ago. The world has changed a lot in that time not least for May and so have drugs and...
Cannabis isn't the health problem - it's the tobacco you mix with it
May 24, 2017 15:27 pm UTC| Health
Europe may seem like an increasingly divided continent, but there is one thing that unites its people: an obsession with using tobacco to smoke cannabis. Up to 90% of Europeans combine tobacco with cannabis, according to...
Drugs fatalities overtake car fatalities for the first time
Sep 09, 2016 10:49 am UTC| Health Life
Seven years ago, fatalities from opiates overtook fatalities due to road accidents in the US. Sadly, the same phenomenon is now playing out in England. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board
Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight