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."
LOL!
I got that idea by listening to you pop off with nonsense in total contradiction to what it says in the document.
BTW, you read 113 pages in these few minutes? Impressive!
Still, I suggest you take another whack at it, this time a bit slower. Try reading for comprehension this time.
You made that up because I disagree with you. Fine. You have an agenda here against the President. You need this to be true.
1. I made nothing up.
2. You're projecting.
Well, it is from WorldNetDaily.
I read the Executive Summary. Maybe I missed it, seems to me this refers to People with Disabilities. Not the entire population.
Yeah, but think of all the money you'll save, not being able to purchase any firearms.
Wow! She is, isn't she?
Diagnosis: Borderline Personality Disorder; Treatment: Zyprexa..
I've written executive summaries. They don't give away the store.
Here's the store: Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America
Good point. I'm sure that isn't a factor in any plans to go forward with this proposal. Uh, huh, sure it isn't.
See how easy it is?
And to think that people were worried that this would be too expensive to implement on a broad scale.
I highly doubt it. DJ peobably never apologizes over his outrages/conspiracy theories of the day.
"I respectfully refuse to answer on the grounds that...."
I probably am a little screwed up. But then, I am sure that the medical community has something better than the green stuff I have to smoke now!
(Rem1100,1500, S&W45, S&W32, glock9mm, Winchester94, and asst odds and ends)...
do I pass, doc? Do I get a sucker?
I've written them too. They don't give away the store, but they cover the key points. This would seem to be one.
Not saying it's not there. I'll read later. Thanks.
It's all there, but in different order. While WND should credit their sources, it does nothing to change the facts at hand.
You didn't miss it corin. That does refer to all people with disabilites and focuses specifically on mental health in other places.
But it does not say anywhere that mental health evaluation or medication will be forced on all citizens.
That figures! :)
A related article from http://www.boingboing.net/2004/06/18/bushs_plan_to_dose_a.html
Friday, June 18, 2004
Bush's plan to dose Americans with expensive antipsychotics
President Bush's family has made a lot of money from drug companies and still has very close ties to the pharmaceutical industry. (Bush Sr was on Eli Lilly's board of directors and Bush Jr appointed Lilly's CEO to a senior position on the Homeland Security Council.)
According to this British Medical Journal article, "Lilly made $1.6m in political contributions in 2000—82% of which went to Bush and the Republican Party. "
So it's not surprising that the President announced a plan to screen the entire US population for mental illness and pump lots and lots of people full of expensive Eli Lilly drugs. Bush's commission has recommended that the federal government adopt a model based on the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP) a medication treatment plan that recommends Zyprexa as a first line antipsychotic drug for patients. Bush was governor of Texas when the plan was adopted, and Zyprexa coincidentally happens to be made Eli Lilly. It's the drug company's top seller, grossing $4.28 billion dollars last year. According to the article, "A 2003 New York Times article by Gardiner Harris reported that 70% of olanzapine sales are paid for by government agencies, such as Medicare and Medicaid."
But the Texas project, which promotes the use of newer, more expensive antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs, sparked off controversy when Allen Jones, an employee of the Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General, revealed that key officials with influence over the medication plan in his state received money and perks from drug companies with a stake in the medication algorithm (15 May, p1153). He was sacked this week for speaking to the BMJ and the New York Times.
Mr Jones told the BMJ that the same "political/pharmaceutical alliance" that generated the Texas project was behind the recommendations of the New Freedom Commission, which, according to his whistleblower report, 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."
Well the oringal came from a Britsh medical journal and was reading from the recommendations of the panel and making some hysterical jumps in the process.
WND still plagarized the article, also.
Let me depart from the issue itself for a moment and address your post. That's circular logic: this action would mean the President has bad character, he doesn't have bad character, therefore the action cannot be true.
That is what I meant. Does that not come across well?
It comes across perfectly fine. You're presupposing your output and shaping the inputs accordingly. I said circular logic, but upon more thought I guess it's actually Denying the Antecedent.
That way, when you are hosting out of town guests, the mentally ill community can bang on your door looking for services. Genesis 19
Great. Uncle Sham will be the biggest drug pusher the world has ever known.
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