Heather Ashton
Heather Ashton | |
---|---|
Born | Chrystal Heather Champion 11 July 1929 Dehradun, British India |
Died | 15 September 2019 Newcastle upon Tyne, England | (aged 90)
Alma mater | Somerville College, Oxford |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Medicine, Psychopharmacology |
Institutions | Newcastle University |
Heather Ashton
Biography
Chrystal Heather Champion was born in Dehradun, northern India, to Harry Champion, a British silviculturist, and Chrystal (Parsons) Champion, a secretary.[1][2][4] From the age of six, she attended a boarding school in Swanage, Dorset, England.[1] When WWII began, she was evacuated to West Chester, Pennsylvania; during the crossing, her ship was attacked by a U-boat.[1]
Ashton went on to study Medicine at
In 1965, Ashton joined the faculty at Newcastle University, first in the Department of Pharmacology and later in the Department of Psychiatry.[1][3] From 1982 to 1994, she ran a benzodiazepine withdrawal clinic at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.[2] She was on the executive committee of the North East Council on Addictions.[1][5] Ashton also helped set up the British organisation Victims of Tranquillisers (VOT).[3][6] She also gave evidence to British government committees on tobacco smoking, cannabis and benzodiazepines.[3][7]
Ashton died on 15 September 2019 at her home in Newcastle upon Tyne, at age 90.[2]
Research
Ashton's developed her expertise in the effects of psychoactive drugs and the effects of substances such as nicotine and cannabis on the brain.[1]
During the 1960s, benzodiazepines, like diazepam and temazepam, had become popular and were seen as safe and effective treatments for anxiety or insomnia.[1][2][4] One study found that the overdose death rate among patients taking both benzodiazepines and opioids was 10 times higher than among those who only took opioids.[2]
Ashton's research on these drugs found that they could be used in the short term, but could lead to physical dependence over the long-term.
References
- ^ ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Professor C Heather Ashton, DM, FRCP – CV". benzo.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
- ^ a b c d "Heather Ashton obituary". Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care. 2019-11-18. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
- ^ "Neca Homepage". Neca.
- ^ "Victims of Tranquillisers – Objectives & Activities". benzo.org.uk.
- ^ a b "Benzodiazepines: How They Work & How to Withdraw". benzo.org.uk.