Neural mechanisms of social risk for psychiatric disorders
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Man, 56, dies when injecting mephedrone during chemsex
Man, 56, dies during chemsex after injecting mephedrone into his shoulder caused his heart to fail and made him collapse 'within minutes'
A 56-year-old man died after injecting mephedrone – also known as M-CAT – into his shoulder during chemsex.
The Italian was pronounced dead just before one in the morning after his male partner phoned paramedics when he collapsed.
Wearing only a 'sex belt with a harness around the waist', the man appeared to have died when his heart and lungs suddenly stopped working after he took the drug.
He had fallen and hit his head on a table after collapsing but experts said that injury was 'superficial' and not what killed him.
They suggested an underlying heart condition had been pushed over the edge by his drug use and ultimately caused his heart and organs to fail.
One expert told MailOnline using drugs during sex can make them riskier because people are more likely to act impulsively or their effects could mask the symptoms of underlying illness.
The 56-year-old, who was later found to have an enlarged heart and fatty build-up in his arteries, died after injecting mephedrone into his shoulder 'while performing sexual activities' (stock image)
The man's case was reported by legal medicine professors at the University of Parma in Italy, the city where he was living at the time.
They said 'fatal cases of chemsex are still rare' and dying because of mephedrone poisoning was also uncommon.
But, although it was unclear how much mephedrone the man had taken, they said the drug 'played a substantial role' in his death.
Mephedrone, also known as M-CAT or meow meow, is usually sold as a powder alternative to drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy or speed and tends to be cheaper.
It's a popular choice for chemsex for that reason and because it makes people feel more loved-up, according to Ian Hamilton, an addiction lecturer at York University.
He told MailOnline: 'The advantage to using a drug like mephedrone for sex is that it is a stimulant and in a similar way to ecstasy enhances feelings of closeness and warmth towards others, two factors which improve the experience of sex.
'We don't know how widely this drug is used to improve sex. Most of the information we have about chemsex relates to gay men, but it is possible that it is used by heterosexual couples too, we just don't know how widely.'
The Italian researchers said having sex on drugs is not new, but is becoming more widely known about in popular culture and the media.
People may take part in it to 'prolong sexual pleasure and activity, increase sexual self-confidence as well as enhance the perceived quality of sex', they wrote.
Mephedrone, in particular, 'provides a particular sexually-disinhibiting “high”,' they said.
They found the man had also taken crystal meth at some point and urine and bile samples showed he had taken mephedrone on another recent occasion, suggesting he used it regularly.
Mr Hamilton said mephedrone becomes particularly dangerous if it's mixed with other drugs.
'The most worrying problem is, like any stimulant, it can overload the heart,' he said. 'At worst this can be fatal but it could produce short-lived chest pain.
WHAT IS CHEMSEX?
Chemsex is a practice in which people have sex while on drugs.
According to experts, the trend first emerged in the UK and Western Europe among gay, lesbian and bisexual people and has, in recent years, gained more notoriety and mainstream attention.
Commonly used drugs in chemsex include crystal meth, mephedrone and GHB – the latter has a reputation as a 'date rape drug'.
People may also use drugs such as cocaine or ketamine but these are less popular.
Writing in the journal Legal Medicine, researchers from the University of Parma in Italy said: 'The use of drugs in a sexual context is not new and has been already documented over the decades with many substances, usually taken to prolong sexual pleasure and activity, increase sexual self-confidence as well as enhance the perceived quality of sex.'
It is not clear how common chemsex is, but a survey of 3,200 gay men in Ireland last month found one in 17 of them had done it in the past year.
'As with several other drugs, people try to avoid the come down by taking more of the drug which delays the unpleasant headaches, difficulty urinating and hot flushes this produces.'
The man in their case study was 5ft8ins tall and weighed 187lbs (85kg) and his body was in 'good condition' for the autopsy.
He had an enlarged heart, however, and a condition called arteriosclerosis, in which the arteries are narrowed by a build-up of cholesterol and fat.
As well as a face wound from where he hit his head, he had a puncture mark from a needle on his shoulder, where the mephedrone had been injected.
The man had 'decided to dilute the chemical substance in [saline] while performing sexual activities' and inject it at around 11pm.
Just a few minutes later he suddenly collapsed, hitting the table on the way down.
He was dead by the time medical staff arrived and his death was officially recorded at 12.51am.
'No evidence of violence was observed', the report said, and his autopsy revealed he had suffered internal bleeding in his brain, heart and kidneys.
Officials recorded a 'mephedrone-correlated death' and suggested that injecting the drug had put extra strain on his heart and caused it to fail.
Mr Hamilton added that using drugs during sex could disguise sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction which could have more serious, deeper underlying causes.
'Taking drugs like this to improve sex can be riskier than using drugs for other reasons as we are more likely to be impulsive and less concerned about risks.
'The other issue is that using drugs like mephedrone for sex might be disguising an underlying physical problem related to sexual interest or ability to be aroused that could be treated in a more traditional way by your GP which would reduce the need to use drugs like this in the first place.'
The research was published in the journal Legal Medicine.
AdvertisementIs the internet good or bad?
These days we take the internet for granted. We share our lives on social media and not just with friends and family. And that isn’t always a positive thing according to the father of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee. Listen to this discussion about whether the internet is a good or bad thing - and learn some useful vocabulary too.
This week's question:
When did Berners-Lee first suggest the idea for what would become the World Wide Web? Was it in...
a) 1985
b) 1989
c) 1991
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.
Vocabulary
initiallyat first - in the beginning
neutralnot controlling / not taking any action to control
anonymitythe state of having a hidden identity or personality
amelioratemake a situation better
to tweak to make a small change
kudospraise and appreciation for something someone has done
Transcript
Note: This is not a word for word transcript
RobHello welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Rob.
NeilAnd I'm Neil.
RobCan you remember the first time you ever used the World Wide Web or as we often call it, the internet, and what you used it for?
NeilOh that's a good question. I do remember. And nothing really changes does it? Because I looked up pictures of cats!
RobCats! Very useful, anyway do you think the internet has generally been positive or negative for the world?
NeilWow, that's a big question. A huge question. I don't know if I can answer that.
RobWell one person who perhaps can answer it, is the man who invented it: British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee. We'll find out what he thinks has become of his 'child' shortly but before that, a question for you all. When did Berners-Lee first suggest the idea for what would become the World Wide Web? Was it in...a) 1985b) 1989c) 1991
NeilTricky but I think it's earlier than people think so I'm going to go for 1985.
RobWell that was a long time ago but we'll reveal the answer a little later in the programme. I think it's true to say that the internet has been one of, if not the most important technological developments perhaps of all time. Would you agree Neil?
NeilWell it's hard to imagine living without it. Not impossible, but not nearly as convenient.
RobThese days we take the internet for granted. We share our lives on social media and not just with friends and family. And that isn't always a positive thing according to the father of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee. In a recent BBC Tech Tent programme he talked about his concerns with the internet and particularly the companies that control its information. Companies which he calls 'internet giants'. What does he say he thought these companies had to do?
Tim Berners-LeeInitially I felt the main thing an internet giant had to do was just to be neutral, just be a platform and humanity, once connected by technology, will do wonderful things. And clearly it doesn't work like that. If you connect humanity via Wikipedia then they do produce, in general, wonderful things. If you connect people by social network where they have anonymity, then it can bring out the very nastiest of people.
RobSo what did he say he thought these internet giants had to do?
NeilHe said that he thought initially, that they just had to be neutral. Initially means 'at first', 'in the beginning' and it also suggests that later he changed his mind. Anyway, he said that he thought they just had to be neutral. Neutral here means that they didn't need to do anything, they didn't need to control the internet or information. He thought it would be a tool to connect people and ideas and information and it would be wonderful.
RobBut it's not all good, is it?
NeilNo. He does say that giving people access to sources of information is generally a good thing but that when it comes to social networks, social media, people have anonymity.
RobAnonymity?
NeilYes. It means that on the internet people can hide their true identity or personality. Some people write things that they would never say to someone in person because they think there will be no consequences. Berners-Lee says anonymity can bring out the nastiest side of people. People saying horrible and terrible things to each other.
RobBerners-Lee does have some suggestions for how this could be changed. And it's based on the idea of likes and shares, which he calls kudos. What's his suggestion?
Tim Berners-LeeThe different social networks and different platforms are in different situations and in some cases they have acknowledged there is an issue. I think they realise that the issue could be hugely ameliorated by tweaking the way the thing works by changing the way retweets are propagated or changing the way people get kudos - give them more kudos for being constructive for example.
RobSo how does he think companies could address the problem?
NeilWell, he says that some of the social networks have agreed that there is a problem and they know what could improve it.
RobHe didn't use the word improve though, did he?
NeilNo he actually used the rather formal verb ameliorate, which means 'to improve or make something better'.
RobSo how does he suggest the problem could be ameliorated?
NeilBy tweaking the way in which people give or receive kudos. Tweaking means 'making a small change to the way something works'. Much of what happens on the internet is driven by our desire to get likes and shares – this is the kudos that Berners-Lee talks about. He feels that tweaking this could lead to a better experience. For example, getting more kudos for constructive or positive actions.
RobMmm, interesting – but I wonder who would decide if something is constructive?
NeilWell that's another big question for another day, I guess.
RobFor now though, let's have the answer to our small question. In what year did Berners-Lee present the idea for what would become the World Wide Web? The options were a) 1985, b)1989 or c) 1991. It was infact 1989. Now before we go let's have a quick recap of today's vocabulary.
NeilInitially – means 'at first - in the beginning'. Then we had neutral.
RobIn this case it meant 'not controlling' or 'not taking any action to control'.
NeilThen there was the noun anonymity which is the state of having a hidden identity or personality.
RobNext, to ameliorate a situation is to make it better.
NeilTo tweak something is to make a small change to the way something works.
RobAnd then we had kudos. Kudos is praise and appreciation for something you've done.
NeilWell kudos to you Rob for today's programme. Thank you very much.
RobWell, thank you Neil and thank you everyone for listening. That's all we have today but you can, find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and of course our website bbclearningenglish.com! Bye for now.
NeilThanks for joining us and goodbye.
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