Weez a mighty sceptical of this here mental health screenin plan!
Posted on 06/21/2004 10:19:15 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
President Bush plans to unveil next month a sweeping mental health initiative that recommends screening for every citizen and promotes the use of expensive antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs favored by supporters of the administration.
The New Freedom Initiative, according to a progress report, seeks to integrate mentally ill patients fully into the community by providing "services in the community, rather than institutions," the British Medical Journal reported.
Critics say the plan protects the profits of drug companies at the expense of the public.
The initiative began with Bush's launch in April 2002 of the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, which conducted a "comprehensive study of the United States mental health service delivery system."
The panel found that "despite their prevalence, mental disorders often go undiagnosed" and recommended comprehensive mental health screening for "consumers of all ages," including preschool children.
The commission said, "Each year, young children are expelled from preschools and childcare facilities for severely disruptive behaviors and emotional disorders."
Schools, the panel concluded, are in a "key position" to screen the 52 million students and 6 million adults who work at the schools.
The commission recommended that the screening be linked with "treatment and supports," including "state-of-the-art treatments" using "specific medications for specific conditions."
The Texas Medication Algorithm Project, or TMAP, was held up by the panel as a "model" medication treatment plan that "illustrates an evidence-based practice that results in better consumer outcomes."
The TMAP -- started in 1995 as an alliance of individuals from the pharmaceutical industry, the University of Texas and the mental health and corrections systems of Texas -- also was praised by the American Psychiatric Association, which called for increased funding to implement the overall plan.
But the Texas project sparked controversy when a Pennsylvania government employee revealed state officials with influence over the plan had received money and perks from drug companies who stand to gain from it.
Allen Jones, an employee of the Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General says in his whistleblower report the "political/pharmaceutical alliance" that developed the Texas project, which promotes the use of newer, more expensive antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs, was behind the recommendations of the New Freedom Commission, which were "poised to consolidate the TMAP effort into a comprehensive national policy to treat mental illness with expensive, patented medications of questionable benefit and deadly side effects, and to force private insurers to pick up more of the tab."
Jones points out, according to the British Medical Journal, companies that helped start the Texas project are major contributors to Bush's election funds. Also, some members of the New Freedom Commission have served on advisory boards for these same companies, while others have direct ties to TMAP.
Eli Lilly, manufacturer of olanzapine, one of the drugs recommended in the plan, has multiple ties to the Bush administration, BMJ says. The elder President Bush was a member of Lilly's board of directors and President Bush appointed Lilly's chief executive officer, Sidney Taurel, to the Homeland Security Council.
Of Lilly's $1.6 million in political contributions in 2000, 82 percent went to Bush and the Republican Party.
Another critic, Robert Whitaker, journalist and author of "Mad in America," told the British Medical Journal that while increased screening "may seem defensible," it could also be seen as "fishing for customers."
Exorbitant spending on new drugs "robs from other forms of care such as job training and shelter program," he said.
However, a developer of the Texas project, Dr. Graham Emslie, defends screening.
"There are good data showing that if you identify kids at an earlier age who are aggressive, you can intervene ... and change their trajectory."
This is crazy...maybe they should start with Bush (even though I love him) to find out what could have caused him to propose such a thing.
You are an incurable optimist.
That sounds about right.
Here's The New Freedom Initiative taken to its logical extreme.
In a fascist future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man charged with enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.
Liberal trends in statist education monopolies have already been heading in the direction of psychological dictatorship for some time. In the Soviet Union, "psychopolitics" - the political misuse of psychiatry was pretty much perfected to the monstrous extreme.
Relax. We'll all find out after the screening results are released.
TigersEye, HMOs and crummy doctors, and lawyers of course, have turned medicine into a circus with the patients the ones jumping through hoops. Fortunately, I live close to a teaching hospital, which, at the very least draws some of the best around, and some of the worst.
Finding a doctor that knows what they're doing... preaching to the choir. Let me just say that government doctors are not the cream of the crop and reliable care would be hit and miss.
I agree that government should stay out of our business, and they would make a horrible mess out of something like this. I don't argue for implementation, only the need to treat "lazy, good fer nothing people" (such as those with ADD) or just the "off their rocker" types (like me) that could otherwise end up eating tax dollars away by supporting them with three meals and a cot (at the very least). These could be younsters, or old timers, or somewhere in between.
Sorry, got carried away... I think that is part of the point to this article, if I remember correctly...
I really can't argue with a thing you said, so I won't!
Glad to hear your friend is well, and I know I proffer unsolicited help. Can't help myself... :)
Best to you.. ba7
Most auspicious wishes for you and yours!
Well said.
I never heard of this plan until this thread. Do you know where it stands now?
Does this get proposed to Congress and debated in public like the prescription drug bill? Is it something we're likely to movement on this year?
This seems like such a drastic step and nobody seems to know much about it, save for a few in this forum.
I don't know but I'm sure FR will keep an eye on it. There is no bill yet according to this.
IL launches compulsory mental health screening for children and pregnant women
Public Act 93-0495
Section 15. Mental health and schools. (a) The Illinois State Board of Education shall develop and implement a plan to incorporate social and emotional development standards as part of the Illinois Learning Standards for the purpose of enhancing and measuring children's school readiness and ability to achieve academic success. The plan shall be submitted to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Partnership by December 31, 2004. (b) Every Illinois school district shall develop a policy for incorporating social and emotional development into the district's educational program. The policy shall address teaching and assessing social and emotional skills and protocols for responding to children with social, emotional, or mental health problems, or a combination of such problems, that impact learning ability. Each district must submit this policy to the Illinois State Board of Education by August 31, 2004.
Barbara Shaw, Director of the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority has been appointed Partnership Chairwoman. Referring to the challenging task before her committee, she commented, "I look forward to working with the Partnership and the Blagojevich Administration to build our children's social and emotional strength so they can become happy, achieving students and productive, caring citizens. We expect that Illinois will be a national leader in this effort."
The Children's Mental Health Act of 2003 provides that:
Illinois create a substantive and strategic plan for building an effective children's mental health system to address prevention, early intervention and treatment for children 0-18 years;
-- Gov. Blagojevich Launches Children's Mental Health Partnership
Another new law permits criminal charges against gun owners who fail to store weapons safely _ perhaps by using trigger locks _ in cases where a child ends up injuring someone with the gun. The gun owner could be fined and jailed for 30 days.
Such laws won't stop gun violence, but they can have a real impact, said Barbara Shaw, director of the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority.
``The more society puts its collective foot down, so to speak, the more deterrence we´ll have,´´ she said.
FYI, posts 1070-1073.
Weez a mighty sceptical of this here mental health screenin plan!
LOL
I felt that was quite appropriate
They don't need the "right", they have the guns.
I read the comments, but I didn't look at the links. Is there anything there except marxist drivel?
Nah, just the same old song and dance.
I wonder if this is *bang_list material.
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