Tuesday, July 28, 2015

IN ALL MILITARY INSTITUTIONS WORLDWIDE FAMILY HARMONY COMES BEFORE HIGH MORALE AND GOOD JOB PERFORMANCE

HAPPY FAMILY NETWORK INTERNATIONAL
For Family Health, Social Success and Maximum Happiness
5 Church Street, Federal Housing Estate, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu.
Email: saintkenez@yahoo.co.uk, Phone: 08104414689

The Commander
337 Base Services Group
Nigerian Air Force
Enugu

PEACEFUL FAMILIES MAXIMISE MORALE IN SERVICE

Sir,
The input of officers and men of NAF will benefit from my 35 years research on injecting optimum health, social success and maximum happiness in each NAF family unit in the country. It is a non-religious NGO but fully a scientific approach to pre-marital and post-nuptial counselling and family therapy. This is my own little humanitarian contribution to the NAF MEDICAL SERVICES 1976-1979 that made me what I am today; A FULL-TIME PRACTISING EXISTENTIAL FAMILY THERAPIST.

My aim is to train out a group of serving personnel that will transmit the knowledge to all bases from generation to generation. All lectures and practicum are free-of-charge. However, the professional materials and all psychological tests administered, scored, statistically computed, analysed and used in face-to-face counselling sessions will be paid for.
Attached is the first proposal to CAS in 2012 -2013.

Dr J. K. Danmbaezue, (Rtd FLT LT JKD MBAEZUE, NAF 759)
Professor of Psychometrics & Consultant Clinical Psychologist

PROPOSAL FOR THE FOUNDATION AND INAUGURATION OF
NAF FAMILY THERAPEUTIC SERVICES

To the Chief of Air Staff,
Air Marshall MD Umar, DSS psc fwc MSc DFS CFR
HEADQUARTERS
Nigerian Air Force
Ministry of Defence
Area 7, Garki
ABUJA

Sir,

THE NEED FOR VIABLE AND FUNCTIONAL THERAPEUTIC CLINICS FOR COMBAT PILOTS AND THE WELFARE OF ALL NAF PERSONNEL

This submission is in three parts so that your special assistants can make proper inputs in the areas that they are more proficient and together produce a mature blueprint in record time.
1.   An Overview of Psychological Problems Fighter Pilots Undergo
2.   Methodology for Institutionalising Effective Therapeutic Clinics
3.   Origins of this Proposal for NAF Family Therapeutic Services
MISSION STATEMENT
Family Harmony is the Fulcrum of Good Job Performance!
All over the world the arm of the Armed Forces that generate the greatest fund of psychological stressors, personality maladjustments and therefore family crises and other individual ill health has been those who fight in the air. This innovative unit is to pre-empt the difficulties that young trainee combat pilots go through as novices as their inappropriate handling of these early psychoneurotic maladjustments can mar and deter their optimum performance in the air and ancillary efficient services for life! Combat Pilots need Psychological Balance and Good Judgement for Optimum Performance and Service to NAF!
1. AN OVERVIEW OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS FIGHTER PILOTS UNDERGO WORLDWIDE AND IN NIGERIAN AIR FORCE

General Introduction:


The author of this Proposal to found and inaugurate a viable, efficient and effective family health unit for social success  and optimum happiness in all the homes of NAF personnel was one of the foundation officers of the NAF HOSPITAL in 1976 soon after the partitioning of the former ARMED FORCES MEDICAL SERVICES prior to 1973. He was the earliest Trainee Pilots’ Evaluation Psychologist who devoted all his energies to establishing a veritable assessment programme for the NAF FTG before he was sabotaged and forced out of the NAF by a stooge that was impersonating as a Nigerian National whereas he was actually a Ghanaian!

Naval and Air Force Medicine

Naval medical services are run on lines similar to those of the army. Junior medical officers are attached to ships or to shore stations and deal with most cases of sickness in their units. When at sea, medical officers have an exceptional degree of responsibility in that they work alone, unless they are on a very large ship. In peacetime, only the larger ships carry a medical officer; in wartime, destroyers and other small craft may also carry medical officers. Serious cases go to either a shore-based hospital or a hospital ship. Flying has many medical repercussions. Cold, lack of oxygen, and changes of direction at high speed all have important effects on bodily and mental functions. Armies and air forces may share the same medical services. A developing field is aerospace medicine. This involves medical problems that were not experienced before spaceflight, for the main reason that humans in space are not under the influence of gravity, a condition that has profound physiological effects.
  • What is aerospace medicine?
It is a specialized branch of medical science concerned with those medical problems encountered in human flight in the atmosphere (aviation medicine) and beyond the atmosphere (space medicine). The ultimate aim of this specialty is to promote the safety and effectiveness of humans while they are exposed to the stresses of aerospace flight, such as extreme temperatures, low atmospheric pressure, radiation, noise, vibrations, oxygen deprivation, and the strong forces of acceleration and deceleration. Other hazards of space flight include weightlessness, motion sickness, pilot fatigue, discomfort from hunger or sleepiness due to the absence of the Earth's day-and-night cycle, and psychological disturbances caused by confinement and isolation. These problems, however, are generally prevented by intensive pre-flight training in high-powered simulators and by careful design of equipment and spacecraft.
The 19th-century French physiologist Paul Bert is generally regarded as the father of modern aviation medicine. His classic observations of the effects of both high and low air pressure on balloonists were used extensively beginning in World War II and prompted a broad and vigorous program of research. In 1948 the first unit for space research in the world was established in the United States, and as major technological advances were made in space flight, space medicine became recognized as an important medical specialty.
Specialists in civil and military aerospace medicine establish and apply appropriate medical standards for the certification and selection of pilots and other flight personnel to assure that they have no physical limitations or medical conditions that could impair their performance. Physicians who are trained in aerospace medicine are known as flight surgeons. Aerospace medical specialists plan and help to carry out flight-crew training in first aid and in the prevention of illness and injuries among passengers; they also assist in training paramedical personnel in the aerial transportation of patients. Such specialists also apply the principles of preventive medicine to avert the spread of disease by air travel. In addition, they conduct post flight medical evaluations of astronauts to identify any adverse effects of space flight on the body. During space flight, they monitor physiologic responses of astronauts and advise them on the management of in-flight medical problems. Beyond the scope of clinical medicine, they often help to develop the vehicles, emergency systems and protective equipment for manned aerospace flight.                              
 Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica 2009
·        What is Stress?
Stress in psychology and biology is any strain or interference that disturbs the functioning of an organism. The human being responds to physical and psychological stress with a combination of psychic and physiological defences. If the stress is too powerful, or the defences inadequate, a psychosomatic or other mental disorder may result.
Stress is an unavoidable effect of living and is an especially complex phenomenon in modern technological society. There is little doubt that an individual's success or failure in controlling potentially stressful situations can have a profound effect on his ability to function. The ability to “cope” with stress has figured prominently in psychosomatic research.
Researchers have reported a statistical link between coronary heart disease and individuals exhibiting stressful behavioural patterns designated “Type A.” These patterns are reflected in a style of life characterized by impatience and a sense of time urgency, hard-driving competitiveness and preoccupation with vocational and related deadlines.
Various strategies have been successful in treating psychological and physiological stress. Moderate stress may be relieved by exercise and any type of meditation (e.g., yoga or Oriental meditative forms). Severe stress may require psychotherapy to uncover and work through the underlying causes. A form of behaviour therapy known as biofeedback enables the patient to become more aware of internal processes and thereby gain some control over bodily reactions to stress. Sometimes, a change of environment or living situation may produce therapeutic results.
·        What is Biofeedback?
It is information supplied instantaneously about an individual's own physiological processes. Data concerning a person's cardiovascular activity (blood pressure and heart rate), temperature, brain waves or muscle tension is monitored electronically and returned, or “fed back”, to that person by a gauge on a meter, a light, or a sound. Though such activity of the autonomic nervous system was once thought to be beyond an individual's control, it has been shown that an individual can be taught to use the biological data to learn how to voluntarily control the body's reactions to stress or “outside-the-skin” events. An individual learns through biofeedback training to detect his physical reactions (inside-the-skin events) and establish control over them.
Biofeedback training is a type of behaviour therapy that attempts to change learned responses to stressors. It can be very successful in alleviating symptoms (e.g., pain and muscle tension) of a disorder, and its effects can be especially lasting if used in combination with psychotherapy to help the patient understand his reactions to stress.
Complaints that have been treated by biofeedback training include migraine headaches, gastrointestinal cramping (e.g., colitis), high blood pressure, tics, and the frequency and severity of epileptic seizures. Theoretically, many psychologists believe it possible to bring under partial control any physiological process that can be continuously monitored and displayed, including electrophysiological activity of the limbic system and other homeostatic processes.
Biofeedback training with brain waves has also been useful in enhancing mental functioning. “Alpha (wave) training” elicits the calming and integrative effects of meditation. Theta wave training has led to more focused attention, the control of “mental blocks” during examinations and the control of anxiety.
·        What is Anxiety?
The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a handbook for mental health professionals, describes a variety of anxiety disorders. These include generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
People with generalized anxiety disorder feel anxious most of the time. They worry excessively about routine events or circumstances in their lives. Their worries often relate to finances, family, personal health and relationships with others. Although they recognize their anxiety as irrational or out of proportion to actual events, they feel unable to control their worrying. For example, they may worry uncontrollably and intensely about money despite evidence that their financial situation is stable. Children with this disorder typically worry about their performance at school or about catastrophic events, such as tornadoes, earthquakes and nuclear war.
People with generalized anxiety disorder often find that their worries interfere with their ability to function at work or concentrate on tasks. This is common among our pilots. Physical symptoms, such as disturbed sleep, irritability, muscle aches and tension, may accompany the anxiety. To receive a diagnosis of this disorder, individuals must have experienced its symptoms for at least six months.
Generalized anxiety disorder affects about 3 percent of people in the general population in any given year. From 55 to 66 percent of people with this disorder are female. A phobia is an excessive, enduring fear of clearly defined objects or situations that interferes with a person’s normal functioning. Although they know their fear is irrational, people with phobias always try to avoid the source of their fear. Common phobias include fear of heights (acrophobia), fear of enclosed places (claustrophobia), fear of insects, snakes, or other animals and fear of air travel. Social phobias involve a fear of performing, of critical evaluation or of being embarrassed in front of other people.
Panic is an intense, overpowering surge of fear. People with panic disorder experience panic attacks—periods of quickly escalating, intense fear and discomfort accompanied by such physical symptoms as rapid heartbeat, trembling, shortness of breath, dizziness and nausea. Because people with this disorder cannot predict when these attacks will strike, they develop anxiety about having additional panic attacks and may limit their activities outside the home.
In obsessive-compulsive disorder, people persistently experience certain intrusive thoughts or images (obsessions) or feel compelled to perform certain behaviours (compulsions). Obsessions may include unwanted thoughts about inadvertently poisoning others or injuring a pedestrian while driving. Common compulsions include repetitive hand washing or such mental acts as repeated counting. People with this disorder often perform compulsions to reduce the anxiety produced by their obsessions. The obsessions and compulsions significantly interfere with their ability to function and may consume a great deal of time.
Post-traumatic stress disorder sometimes occurs after people experience traumatic or catastrophic events, such as physical or sexual assaults, natural disasters, accidents and wars. People with this disorder relive the traumatic event through recurrent dreams or intrusive memories called flashbacks. They avoid things or places associated with the trauma and may feel emotionally detached or estranged from others. Other symptoms may include difficulty sleeping, irritability and trouble concentrating.
Most anxiety disorders do not have an obvious cause. They result from a combination of biological, psychological and social factors. Among our inexperienced trainee pilots it is the commonest ill health due to flying problems that they often cover up to avoid being dismissed from the training programme!
Studies suggest that anxiety disorders run in families. That is, children and close relatives of people with disorders are more likely than most to develop anxiety disorders. Some people may inherit genes that make them particularly vulnerable to anxiety. These genes do not necessarily cause people to be anxious, but the genes may increase the risk of anxiety disorders when certain psychological and social factors are also present.
Anxiety also appears to be related to certain brain functions. Chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters enable neurons, or brain cells, to communicate with each other. One neurotransmitter, gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), appears to play a role in regulating one’s level of anxiety. Lower levels of GABA are associated with higher levels of anxiety. Some studies suggest that the neurotransmitters nor-epinephrine and serotonin play a role in panic disorder.
Psychologists have proposed a variety of models to explain anxiety. Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud suggested that anxiety results from internal, unconscious conflicts. He believed that a person’s mind represses wishes and fantasies about which the person feels uncomfortable. This repression, Freud believed, results in anxiety disorders, which he called neuroses.
More recently, behavioural researchers have challenged Freud’s model of anxiety. They believe one’s anxiety level relates to how much a person believes events can be predicted or controlled. Children who have little control over events, perhaps because of overprotective parents, may have little confidence in their ability to handle problems as adults. This lack of confidence can lead to increased anxiety.
Behavioural theorists also believe that children may learn anxiety from a role model, such as a parent. By observing their parent’s anxious response to difficult situations, the child may learn a similar anxious response. A child may also learn anxiety as a conditioned response. For example, an infant often startled by a loud noise while playing with a toy may become anxious just at the sight of the toy. Some experts suggest that people with a high level of anxiety misinterpret normal events as threatening. For instance, they may believe their rapid heartbeat indicates they are experiencing a panic attack when in reality it may be the result of exercise.
While some people may be biologically and psychologically predisposed to feel anxious, most anxiety is triggered by social factors. Many people feel anxious in response to stress, such as a divorce, starting a new job or moving to a new place of residence. Also, how a person expresses anxiety appears to be shaped by social factors. For example, many cultures accept the expression of anxiety and emotion in women, but expect more reserved emotional displays from men.
Mental health professionals use a variety of methods to help people overcome anxiety disorders. These include psychoactive drugs and psychotherapy, particularly behaviour therapy. Other techniques, such as exercise, hypnosis, meditation and biofeedback, may also prove helpful.
Psychiatrists often prescribe benzodiazepines, a group of tranquilizing drugs, to reduce anxiety in people with high levels of anxiety. Benzodiazepines help to reduce anxiety by stimulating the GABA neurotransmitter system. Common benzodiazepines include alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), and diazepam (Valium). Two classes of antidepressant drugs—tricyclics and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—also have proven effective in treating certain anxiety disorders.
Benzodiazepines can work quickly with few unpleasant side effects, but they can also be addictive. In addition, benzodiazepines can slow down or impair motor behaviour or thinking and must be used with caution, particularly in immature pilots without experience or commonly among elderly persons. SSRIs take longer to work than the benzodiazepines but are not addictive. Some people experience anxiety symptoms again when they stop taking the medications.
Therapists who attribute the cause of anxiety to unconscious, internal conflicts may use psychoanalysis to help people understand and resolve their conflicts. Other types of psychotherapy, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy, have proven effective in treating anxiety disorders. In cognitive-behavioural therapy, the therapist often educates the person about the nature of his or her particular anxiety disorder. Then, the therapist may help the person challenge irrational thoughts that lead to anxiety. For example, to treat a person with a snake phobia, a therapist might gradually expose the person to snakes, beginning with pictures of snakes and progressing to rubber snakes and real snakes. The patient can use relaxation techniques acquired in therapy to overcome the fear of snakes.
Research has shown psychotherapy to be as effective as or more effective than medications in treating many anxiety disorders. Psychotherapy may also provide more lasting benefits than medications when patients discontinue treatment.
·        What is Depression?
Depression in medical psychology is any mental illness in which a person experiences deep, unshakable sadness and diminished interest in nearly all activities. People also use the term depression to describe the temporary sadness, loneliness or blues that everyone feels from time to time. In contrast to normal sadness, severe depression, also called major depression, can dramatically impair a person’s ability to function in social situations and at work. People with major depression often have feelings of despair, hopelessness and worthlessness, as well as thoughts of committing suicide. This variant can cost of lives and properties of any institution especially precious pilot officers and costly aircrafts of the NAF!
Simply put, in a layman’s language, it is the OPPOSITE of anxiety!

Depression can take several other forms. In bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic-depressive illness, a person’s mood swings back and forth between depression and mania. People with seasonal affective disorder typically suffer from depression only during the rainy season or harmattan periods in the tropics or autumn and winter in temperate regions, when there are fewer hours of daylight. In dysthymia (pronounced dis-THI-mee-uh), people feel depressed, have low self-esteem, and concentrate poorly most of the time—often for a period of years—but their symptoms are milder than in major depression. Some people with dysthymia experience occasional episodes of major depression. Mental health professionals use the term clinical depression to refer to any of the above forms of depression. Surveys indicate that people commonly view depression as a sign of personal weakness, but psychiatrists and psychologists view it as a real illness.
Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses. At least 8 percent of adults worldwide experience serious depression at some point during their lives, and estimates range as high as 17 percent. We have no statistics for developing countries in Africa. The illness affects all people, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity or socioeconomic standing. However, women are two to three times more likely than men to suffer from depression. Experts disagree on the reason for this difference. Some cite differences in hormones and others point to the stress caused by society’s expectations of women. Although it may appear anytime from childhood to old age, depression usually begins during a person’s 20s or 30s. The illness may come on slowly, then deepen gradually over months or years. On the other hand, it may erupt suddenly in a few weeks or days. This is more common for our young pilots starting training. A person who develops severe depression may appear so confused, frightened and unbalanced that observers speak of a “nervous breakdown”. However it begins, depression causes serious changes in a person’s feelings and outlook. A person with major depression feels sad nearly every day and may cry often. People, work and activities that used to bring them pleasure no longer do.
Symptoms of depression can vary by age. In younger children, depression may include physical complaints, such as stomach-aches and headaches, as well as irritability, “moping around”, social withdrawal, and changes in eating habits. They may feel unenthusiastic about school and other activities. In adolescents, common symptoms include sad mood, sleep disturbances and lack of energy. This is the version common among our young combat pilots during their initial training sessions. Elderly people with depression usually complain of physical rather than emotional problems, which sometimes lead doctors to misdiagnose the illness. Symptoms of depression can also vary by culture. In some cultures, depressed people may not experience sadness or guilt but may complain of physical problems. In Mediterranean cultures, for example, depressed people may complain of headaches or nerves. In Asian cultures they may complain of weakness, fatigue or imbalance. If left untreated, an episode of major depression typically lasts eight or nine months. About 85 percent of people who experience one bout of depression will experience future episodes.
Appetite and Sleep Changes Depression usually alters a person’s appetite, sometimes increasing it, but usually reducing it. Sleep habits often change as well. People with depression may oversleep or, more commonly, sleep for fewer hours. A depressed person might go to sleep at midnight, sleep restlessly, then wake up at 5 am feeling tired and blue. For many depressed people, early morning is the saddest time of the day.
Changes in Energy Level Depression is known to change one’s energy level. Some depressed people may be restless and agitated, engaging in fidgety movements and pacing. Others may feel sluggish and inactive, experiencing great fatigue, lack of energy, and a feeling of being worn out or carrying a heavy burden. Depressed people may also have difficulty thinking, poor concentration and problems with memory.
Poor Self-Esteem People with depression often experience feelings of worthlessness, helplessness, guilt, and self-blame. They may interpret a minor failing on their part as a sign of incompetence or interpret minor criticism as condemnation. Some depressed people complain of being spiritually or morally dead. The mirror seems to reflect someone ugly and repulsive. Even a competent and decent person may feel deficient, cruel, stupid, phoney or guilty of having deceived others. People with major depression may experience such extreme emotional pain that they consider or attempt suicide. At least 15 percent of seriously depressed people commit suicide, and many more attempt it.
Psychotic Symptoms In some cases, people with depression may experience psychotic symptoms, such as delusions (false beliefs) and hallucinations (false sensory perceptions). Psychotic symptoms indicate an especially severe illness. Compared to other depressed people, those with psychotic symptoms have longer hospital stays, and after leaving, they are more likely to be moody and unhappy. They are also more likely to commit suicide.
Depression typically cannot be shaken or willed away. An episode must therefore run its course until it weakens either on its own or with treatment. Depression can be treated effectively with antidepressant drugs, psychotherapy or a combination of both. Despite the availability of effective treatment, most depressive disorders go untreated and undiagnosed. Studies indicate that general physicians fail to recognize depression in their patients at least half of the time. In addition, many doctors and patients view depression in elderly people as a normal part of aging, even though treatment for depression in older people is usually very effective.
These medications appear to work by altering the levels of serotonin, nor- epinephrine, and other neurotransmitters in the brain. They generally take at least two to three weeks to become effective. Doctors cannot predict which type of antidepressant drug will work best for any particular person, so depressed people may need to try several types. Antidepressant drugs are not addictive, but they may produce unwanted side effects. To avoid relapse, people usually must continue taking the medication for several months after their symptoms improve. Commonly used antidepressant drugs fall into three major classes: tricyclics, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO inhibitors), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Tricyclics, named for their three-ring chemical structure, include amitriptyline (Elavil), imipramine (Tofanil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), and nortriptyline (Pamelor). Side effects of tricyclics may include drowsiness, dizziness upon standing, blurred vision, nausea, insomnia, constipation, and dry mouth.
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
We must stop here and permit the experts to treat our combat pilots and any members of their families that might be suffering from any of these variants of collateral damages due to the stressful life of every fighter pilot worldwide. All the above –listed symptoms are what our NAF personnel pass through which this NAF FAMILY THERAPEUTIC SERVICES will provide optimum solutions to!
2.  METHODOLOGY FOR INSTITUTIONALISING EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC CLINICS AT NAF BASES NATIONWIDE
For the authors of this proposal, HEALTH in human beings is the extent of the well-being of NAF personnel and members of their families in achieving optimum physical, emotional, mental and social ability to cope within the work and home environment. The standard medical centres we have as of now provide for only one aspect of health! Health has three departments but often the generality of doctors and patients overemphasise physical health to the detriment of psychological and social health. This is a remedial service and so  needs immediate implementation strategies.

Most young pilots enlisting into the NAF are bachelors on arrival. For the next 35 years that they will serve the nation, their proper development, marital success and balanced lifestyles will determine to a greater extent their good performance in the air, on the land and in their homes! This the tripartite reasons for establishing NAF FAMILY THERAPEUTIC CLINICS. Therefore, every base in the nation should have a room or two carved out from the existing medical centres which will be equipped with the minimal clinical needs of a Clinical Psychologist, a Medical Sociologist, an Experienced Matron or Nursing Sister and five other health personnel for a start!

To cut down on expenses, selection of officers and men already in service and some ex-service who are willing and able to render marriage guidance and family counselling instructions to family members of Air Force Bases nearest to their residences will form the foundation team for the gradual take-off of a full-fledged therapeutic clinic in the nearest future. Weekly lectures to all who request or are interested in learning how to be their wards marriage counsellors will be a good starting point of the future schools for this innovative family clinic.

So as not to force the NAF as a whole to enter into financial difficulties, the initial reading texts, psychological tests, scales, inventories and lecture handouts are already in a printed format. What CAS needs to do is to offset the cost printing these materials and become a partner in their ownership so they can be distributed at minimal costs to service personnel that need them most! Other infrastructure will develop gradually as the programme matures nationwide!











I leave this space for those experts in logistics, planning and execution of NAF projects. Medical officers are not experts in this area. So, CAS to take the decision!







The Genesis of this Proposal was A Welcome Visit to the Commander, NAF Base, Enugu in 2012
The materialisation of this unit will be owed to AIR CDRE JB GBAMWUON, The Initiator.


Dr J. K. Danmbaezue, D.Sc. in Psychometrics
Medical Director  & Animator International,
KENEZ HEALTH KLINIK / HAPPY FAMILY NETWORK,
C82 5 Church Street, Federal Housing Estate,
Trans-Ekulu, Enugu, ENUGU STATE OF NIGERIA
Fmr: Flt Lt J. K. D. Mbaezue, NAF 759, (rtd)
Trainee Pilots’ Evaluation Psychologist
NAF HOSPITAL KANO 1976 -1977, NAF GTG KAWO, KADUNA 1978 -1979)
3. ORIGINS OF THIS PROPOSAL FOR NAF FAMILY THERAPEUTIC SERVICES
NIGERIAN AIR FORCE FAMILY WELFARE SERVICES
Family Counselling & Behaviour Therapy for NAF Personnel
*FG OFFR LADOYE MEMORIAL CLINICS*

NEED FOR TREATING/PREVENTING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
The toughest part of the life of any combat pilot worldwide is the initial flight sessions before one is given the badge. A lot of stressors mar the smooth transition from a civilian to a capable, resilient,  effective and efficient combat pilot who is  ready at all times 24/7. Personality disorders is a group name given to the greatest ill-health of this group of NAF personnel as their ability to cope with stressors during this initial training period is immature. They need a proficient psychologist to help ease their stage fright, confusion when in flight and jittery nervousness while on their training missions. They may seem emotionally numb, detached, irritable and easily startled because of their new risk taking activities they can never shy away from! Other symptoms include trouble concentrating, depression and sleep difficulties. Youthful officers of this type may have unpredictable, angry outbursts at family members, professional colleagues in the training programme and even dislike their trainers. At other times, they may seem to have no affection for their loved ones. Some people try to mask their symptoms by abusing alcohol or drugs. Others work very long hours to prevent any “down” periods or over-indulge in sex or video films as they presume these might relieve them of stressors in their environment. They are wrong. They need guidance. They need experts in behaviour modification!
ORIGINS OF THIS FAMILY HEALTH SERVICES

There was a horrific crash of MIG 15 Russian Supersonic Air Force plane early in 1978 that damaged and charred buildings and medical equipment in the newly established NAF HOSPITAL in Kano very close to the flat line then. Flying Officer Ladoye and his Russian Trainer did not survive the fatal crash. Their remains were hardly recognisable but for the manifest and detailed entries made before each flight training session commenced. The author of this submission narrowly escaped being fried literally from the inferno as the nose of the plane plunged right into the corridor leading into his office. Everything in the office, including refrigerators, air conditioners, laboratory equipment, personal brief case containing stethoscope and sundry psychological testing gadgets with all his documents was burnt to ashes. His youthful exuberance of not sitting at one place for more than thirty minutes was his saving grace! All the female staff of the hospital wept for his sudden demise until all the smoke cleared and the charred remains of his newly purchased TOYOTA CROWN was nowhere to be found among the wreckage! Every one heaved a sigh of relief! For once the gadfly antics of the busy body officer paid dividends. The culprit never knew what happened until fellow officers told him in town over the weekend. The tragic air disaster happened on a Friday around 12 noon.
On Saturday morning when he was informed of the crash, he quickly sped off to the hospital premises. He could not believe his luck! Not a single syringe, not even a safety pin escaped the inferno that left a debris unrecognisable at his erstwhile office. Some of his obsolete academic and association membership certificates went up in the flames. That never bordered him. But this was the hallmark of a turning point in his clinical career.
The emotional balance of all Trainee Pilots had been neglected. No one was to be blamed. The FLYING TRAINING GROUP  was barely five years old at the time! It was rumoured by his close associates that Fg Offr Ladoye was passing through a severe emotional crisis at the time, not unconnected with a lady he was dating at the time. “The crash could have been a suicide”, was another rumour making the rounds. This author reminisced over the issue since he could have been one of the collateral damages besides the Russian Trainer, the roof of a patients’ ward and both the Psychologist’s and Physiotherapist’s offices that were torn apart. If the trend of thought and rumours were true, he argued, then this was a preventable crash if the medical services included counselling for all personnel of the unit especially trainee pilots, he opined! When his theory was rubbished as puerile, he resolved to demystify the consequences of not administering pre-flight psychological tests on trainee pilots before and after each training session to ascertain that they possess healthy reflexes and mental balance required of fighter pilots. He concluded that he needed a postgraduate training in that area, whether his bosses accepted his theory or not. He kept his resolution to himself, bidding his time/calculating the best time to set it in motion!

Squadron Leader Plumptre, his OC at the material time egged him on to resign if he wanted to go for a postgraduate training on the issue. He had a Ph.D. scholarship from Anambra State waiting for him to complete the three years contract mandatory then on all DSSC officers. Though Plumptre forced him out, he did not however extinguish his determination to major in Family Counselling and Therapeutics. News filtered to him some years later that the said Sqn Ldr was disgraced out of the NAF as he was found out to have been impersonating Nigerian nationality whereas he was truly a Ghananian! Check the records, ask Gp Capt Canice Nzenwunwa (rtd), Gp Capt Dr Haruna (rtd) or Sqn Ldr or Gp Capt Dr Motayo (rtd) if they are still alive and can access them. I have lost contacts with all of them due the stresses in our society!

FAMILY HARMONY COMES BEFORE GOOD JOB PERFORMANCE

I studied for 25 years and practised for another 10 before writing this long story. Many problems can be nipped in the bud if our senior officers paid attention to the love relationships between the personnel or couples serving them. I developed more than 12 psychometric tests during my long leave of absence. See my website; www.happyfamilynetwork.hpage.com  for some of the relevant topics that might urge you to put this stratagem in the blueprint for the dear officers and precious fighter pilots of our cherished NIGERIAN AIR FORCE, I am available to train out a work force for this service. May I stop at this juncture.

Yours in the National Service of Nigeria
JideofoKenecukwuDanmbaezue   @ 11/5/2012 7:23:11  HRS  GMT
Dr J. K. Danmbaezue, an upgrade of Flt Lt J. K. D. Mbaezue, NAF 759 (rtd.)
Check out these professional profiles if you desire more up to date facts and figures:

·         https://sites.google.com/site/kenezhealthklinik/home/new-drug-for-managing-hiv-aids-by-hafani-research-consortium

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