The New Open Air Asylums
The Injustice of Corporate Profits by Pharma Companies and Mental Health 'Experts'
The Dangerous Practice of Prescription Drugs vrs Reality
Much ado is made about the increasing Mental Health problems and issues within the Western World. The following is a selection of sites that portray the Truth about the growing industry that is quite literally drugging the world for profit - and very little other good. It displays the immoral, unethical, uncaring, unthinking world of Corporate Profits and the complete lack of regard Profit Makers really have for man overall... what you don't know can kill you!
What is Mental Health - really?
Definitions of Mental health on the Web:
* the successful performance of mental function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people and the ability to adapt to change and cope with adversity; from early childhood until late life, mental health is the springboard of thinking and communications skills, learning, emotional growth, resilience and self-esteem.
http://www.fountainhouse.org/moxie/resources/resources_glossary/index.shtml
* How a person thinks, feels, and acts when faced with life's situations. Mental health is how people look at themselves, their lives, and the other people in their lives; evaluate their challenges and problems; and explore choices. This includes handling stress, relating to other people, and making decisions.
http://www.dphilpotlaw.com/html/glossary.html
* A relatively enduring state of being in which an individual is reasonably satisfying to self, as reflected in his/her zest for living and feeling of self-realization. It also implies a large degree of adjustment to the social environment, as indicated by the satisfaction derived from interpersonal relationships, as well as achievements.
http://www.cmpmhmr.cog.pa.us/glossary.htm
* The capacity of an individual to form harmonious relations with his/her social and physical environment, and to achieve a balanced satisfaction of his/her own drives.
http://www.dph.state.ct.us/OPPE/sha99/glossary.htm
* The psychological condition of the mind.
http://www.century-health.com/glossary.asp
* Though many elements of mental health may be identifiable, the term is not easy to define. The meaning of being mentally healthy is subject to many interpretations rooted in value judgments, which may vary across cultures. Mental health should not be seen as the absence of illness, but more to do with a form of subjective well being, when individuals feel that they are coping, fairly in control of their lives, able to face challenges, and take on responsibility. ...
http://www.wfmh.org/wmhday/sec3_pt3_4_glossary.html
* Describes an appropriate balance between the individual, their social group, and the larger environment. These three components combine to promote psychological and social harmony, a sense of well being, self-actualization, and environmental mastery.
http://schizophrenia.atspace.org/glossary/
* the psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment.
http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
* A mental illness is a disorder of the brain that results in a disruption in a person's thinking, feeling, moods, and ability to relate to others. Mental illness is distinct from the legal concept of insanity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_Health
* Mental health, mental hygiene and mental wellness are all terms used to describe the absence of mental illness. By this definition, mental status has two possibilities: either health or illness.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health
How many Mental Health Patients are we REALLY looking at?
Mental Disorders in America Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 22.1 percent of Americans ages 18 and older--about 1 in 5 adults--suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 1998 U.S. Census residential population estimate, this figure translates to 44.3 million people. In addition, 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are mental disorders--major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time.
http://www.mhsource.com/resource/mh.html
* In 2003, an estimated 28 million adults received treatment for mental health problems in the 12 months prior to the interview. This estimate represents 13.2 percent of the population 18 years old or older and is unchanged from 2002.
* The most prevalent type of treatment in the adult population in 2003 was prescription medication (10.9 percent), followed by outpatient treatment (7.2 percent). An estimated 1.8 million adults ( 0.8 percent) were hospitalized for mental health problems at some time within the past 12 months.
* Among racial/ethnic groups, the rates of treatment for adults in 2003 were highest for those reporting two or more races (17.5 percent) and next highest for whites (15.3 percent). Other groups reported much lower rates of treatment ( 8.5 percent for blacks, 8.0 percent for Hispanics, and 4.9 percent for Asians). Among Asians, the overall treatment rate and the rate of outpatient treatment dropped from 2002 to 2003 (overall: 8.5 to 4.9 percent; outpatient: 6.7 to 3.1 percent).
* Adults in families receiving government assistance were more likely to receive treatment for mental health problems in 2003 (19.3 percent) than adults in unassisted families ( 12.3 percent). Adults in assisted families also were more likely than those in unassisted families to receive inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, or prescription medication.
* Among the 5.5 million adults who did not receive treatment but perceived an unmet need for treatment in the past year, the following were the five most commonly reported reasons for not receiving treatment: cost or insurance issues ( 45.1 percent), not feeling a need for treatment (at the time) or thinking the problem could be handled without treatment (40.6 percent), not knowing where to go for services (22.9 percent), perceived stigma associated with receiving treatment ( 22.8 percent), and did not have time (18.1 percent). Less commonly reported reasons were "treatment would not help" (10.3 percent), "fear of being committed or having to take medicine" (7.2 percent), and reasons relating to access barriers other than cost ( 3.7 percent)
* In 2003, an estimated 5.1 million youths aged 12 to 17 received treatment or counseling for emotional or behavior problems in the year prior to the interview. This represents 20.6 percent of this population and is higher than the 2002 estimate of 4.8 million (19.3 percent)
* Among the 5.1 million youths receiving treatment in 2003, the most commonly reported sources were school counselors, school psychologists, or teachers (48.0 percent), as well as private therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, or counselors ( 46.1 percent). An estimated 467,000 youths, or 9.1 percent of those receiving treatment, were hospitalized for treatment of mental health problems.
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda/2k3nsduh/2k3Results.htm#fig8.2
Top Ten Myths about Mental Illness
Myth #1: Psychiatric disorders are not true medical illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. People who have a mental illness are just "crazy." Fact: Brain disorders, like heart disease and diabetes, are legitimate medical illnesses. Research shows there are genetic and biological causes for psychiatric disorders, and they can be treated effectively.
Myth #2: People with a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, are usually dangerous and violent. Fact: Statistics show that the incidence of violence in people who have a brain disorder is not much higher than it is in the general population. Those suffering from a psychosis such as schizophrenia are more often frightened, confused and despairing than violent.
Myth #3: Mental illness is the result of bad parenting. Fact:Most experts agree that a genetic susceptibility, combined with other risk factors, leads to a psychiatric disorder. In other words, mental illnesses have a physical cause.
Myth #4: Depression results from a personality weakness or character flaw, and people who are depressed could just snap out of it if they tried hard enough. Fact: Depression has nothing to do with being lazy or weak. It results from changes in brain chemistry or brain function, and medication and/or psychotherapy often help people to recover.
Myth #5: Schizophrenia means split personality, and there is no way to control it. Fact:Schizophrenia is often confused with multiple personality disorder. Actually, schizophrenia is a brain disorder that robs people of their ability to think clearly and logically. The estimated 2.5 million Americans with schizophrenia have symptoms ranging from social withdrawal to hallucinations and delusions. Medication has helped many of these individuals to lead fulfilling, productive lives.
Myth #6: Depression is a normal part of the aging process. Fact:It is not normal for older adults to be depressed. Signs of depression in older people include loss of interest in activities, sleep disturbances and lethargy. Depression in the elderly is often undiagnosed, and it is important for seniors and their family members to recognize the problem and seek professional help.
Myth #7: Depression and other illnesses, such as anxiety disorders, do not affect children or adolescents. Any problems they have are just a part of growing up. Fact: Children and adolescents can develop severe mental illnesses. In the United States, one in ten children and adolescents has a mental disorder severe enough to cause impairment. However, only about 20 percent of these children receive needed treatment. Left untreated, these problems can get worse. Anyone talking about suicide should be taken very seriously.
Myth #8: If you have a mental illness, you can will it away. Being treated for a psychiatric disorder means an individual has in some way "failed" or is weak. Fact:A serious mental illness cannot be willed away. Ignoring the problem does not make it go away, either. It takes courage to seek professional help.
Myth #9: Addiction is a lifestyle choice and shows a lack of willpower. People with a substance abuse problem are morally weak or "bad". Fact: Addiction is a disease that generally results from changes in brain chemistry. It has nothing to do with being a "bad" person.
Myth #10: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), formerly known as "shock treatment," is painful and barbaric. Fact:ECT has given a new lease on life to many people who suffer from severe and debilitating depression. It is used when other treatments such as psychotherapy or medication fail or cannot be used. Patients who receive ECT are asleep and under anesthesia, so they do not feel anything. "These misconceptions can do irreparable harm to people with legitimate illnesses who should and can be treated," said Herbert Pardes, M.D., President of NARSAD's Scientific Council. "Research in brain disorders is flourishing, and we expect to see new and better treatments that will have the power to change lives and bring hope to many," said Lieber. In Harms Way: Suicide in America Suicide is a tragic and potentially preventable public health problem. In 2000, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. 1 Specifically, 10.6 out of every 100,000 persons died by suicide. The total number of suicides was 29,350, or 1.2 percent of all deaths. Suicide deaths outnumber homicide deaths by five to three. It has been estimated that there may be from 8 to 25 attempted suicides per every suicide death. 2 The alarming numbers of suicide deaths and attempts emphasize the need for carefully designed prevention efforts.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/harmaway.cfm
UNSTABLE MINDS
Although he was diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic over a decade ago, the family of Russell Weston Jr., the man accused of killing two police officers at the U.S. Capitol, never thought he was capable of violence. Elizabeth Farnsworth leads a discussion on what people should know about this mental illness.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec98/weston_7-27.html
Insanity on Trial? Mental Health Courts? Old News - what happened to that idea? In November 2000, U.S. President Bill Clinton signed into law America's Law Enforcement and Mental Health Project , a bipartisan bill introduced into Congress by two Ohio legislators -- Rep. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, and Sen. Mike DeWine, a Republican. The bill, which amended the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the creation of 100 pilot mental health courts, was introduced just months after the Justice Department released a report indicating that fully 16 percent of those incarcerated in the nation's prisons and jails have been identified as mentally ill.
(3) estimates say 25 to 40 percent of America's mentally ill will come into contact with the criminal justice system, according to National Alliance for the Mentally Ill;
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106:S.1865.ENR:
And today:
Mental Health Courts Mental Health Courts Program ( FY 2006 Call for Concept Papers) How To Apply in Grants.gov
Overview: The Bureau of Justice Assistance, in coordination with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration , is administering the Mental Health Courts Program. This program will fund projects that seek to mobilize communities to implement innovative, collaborative efforts that bring systemwide improvements to the way the needs of adult and juvenile offenders with mental disabilities or illnesses are addressed.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/mentalhealth.html
The Medications make you feel better - right? Mental Health Parity: Opening The Door To Patient Abuse, Deaths, Fraud
LOS ANGELES: The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a 33-year psychiatric watchdog, says that if unlimited mandated mental health parity is passed, there will be more widespread patient abuse and fraud. Already, the mental health industry defrauds the government up to $ 40 billion per year; between 1950 and 1990, the total number of inpatient deaths exceeded the number of Americans killed in 10 wars, including World Wars I and II, and the Vietnam and Korean Wars; today, there are up to 150 restraint deaths per year in psychiatric institutions and, as The New York Times exposed this week, 960 people died between 1995 and 2001 in New York group homes for the mentally ill—all without accountability.
http://www.cchr.org/index.cfm/8165 Older mental health drugs risky for elderly: Anti-psychotic medications nearly double the risk of death, FDA warns: BOSTON - Older drugs designed to treat mental problems such as delirium, agitation and psychosis may be even more hazardous to the elderly than newer medicines that carry U.S. government warnings, a study showed on Wednesday.The Food and Drug Administration warned in April that newer "atypical" anti-psychotic medicines such as Johnson & Johnson's Risperdal and Eli Lilly & Co.'s Zyprexa nearly doubled the risk of death in elderly people with dementia. The study said those warnings should have been extended to older drugs such Haldol and Thorazine, available in generic form, because they posed a risk of death that was 37 percent higher than the atypical drugs.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10270033/
Canadian Regulators Withdraw ADD Drug Linked to 20 Sudden Deaths: Canadian regulators - but not the FDA - have withdrawn a Adderall, a pssychostimulant drug prescribed for children with so-called ADHD that has been linked to 20 sudden deaths linked to the drug - of which 14 were in children. "The adverse reactions were not associated with overdose, misuse or abuse of the drug, the department said."
http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/05/02/10a.php
Bush To Impose Psychiatric Drug Regime: Plans to screen whole US population for mental illness. According to a recent article in the British Medical Journal, US president George Bush is to announce a major "mental health" initiative in this coming month of July. The proposal will extend screening and psychiatric medication to kids and grown-ups all over the US, following a pilot scheme of recommended medication practice developed in Texas and already exported to several other states.
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2004/06/23/bush_to_impose_psychiatric_drug_regime.htm Executive Summary : The work of the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health is a key component of President George W. Bush's New Freedom Initiative. In its final report to the President, the Commission called for nothing short of fundamental transformation of the mental health care delivery system in the United States-from one dictated by outmoded bureaucratic and financial incentives to one driven by consumer and family needs that focuses on building resilience and facilitating recovery. The following Federal Mental Health Action Agenda articulates specifi c, actionable objectives for the initiation of a long-term strategy designed to move the Nation's public and private mental health service delivery systems toward the day when all adults with serious mental illnesses and all children with serious emotional disturbances will live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities.
http://www.samhsa.gov/Federalac tionagenda/NFC_execsum.aspx
Revised mental health bill fails to persuade patients or professionals: Lynn Eaton LondonThe latest government attempts to win over detractors of the controversial mental health bill, first proposed in 2002 but later withdrawn for redrafting after an outcry over its contents, seem to have failed at the first hurdle. When health minister Rosie Winterton launched the revised bill last week professionals and patients' groups protested that the changes still didn't go far enough.
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/329/7467/640-a
The Medications are safe though - they have to be to get through the FDA, don't they?
Any medication can have side effects, which might be mild in one person or more pronounced in another. As an example, according to its manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company, "the side effects that people taking Prozac experience most include nausea, difficulty sleeping, drowsiness, anxiety, nervousness, weakness, loss of appetite, tremors, dry mouth, sweating, decreased sex drive, impotence, and/or yawning."
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/medications_depression.htm
FDA Public Health Advisory: Suicidality in Adults Being Treated with Antidepressant Medications Several recent scientific publications suggest the possibility of an increased risk for suicidal behavior in adults who are being treated with antidepressant medications. Even before these reports became available, the FDA began a complete review of all available data to determine whether there is an increased risk of suicidality (suicidal thinking or behavior) in adults being treated with antidepressant medications. It is expected that this review will take a year or longer to complete. In the meantime, FDA is highlighting that:
* Adults being treated with antidepressant medications, particularly those being treated for depression, should be watched closely for worsening of depression and for increased suicidal thinking or behavior. Close watching may be especially important early in treatment, or when the dose is changed, either increased or decreased.
* Adults whose symptoms worsen while being treated with antidepressant drugs, including an increase in suicidal thinking or behavior, should be evaluated by their health care professional.
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/SSRI200507.htm
FDA Public Health Advisory: Suicidality in Children and Adolescents Being Treated With Antidepressant Medications The risk of suicidality for these drugs was identified in a combined analysis of short-term (up to 4 months) placebo-controlled trials of nine antidepressant drugs, including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and others, in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or other psychiatric disorders. A total of 24 trials involving over 4400 patients were included. The analysis showed a greater risk of suicidality during the first few months of treatment in those receiving antidepressants. The average risk of such events on drug was 4%, twice the placebo risk of 2%. No suicides occurred in these trials. Based on these data, FDA has determined that the following points are appropriate for inclusion in the boxed warning: None of the drugs is approved for other psychiatric indications in children.
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/antidepressants/SSRIPHA200410.htm
A Note of Caution About Psychiatric Medications for Symptoms of Depression By Jeanne Segal Ph.D. I am a psychologist whose profession makes liberal use of antidepressant and other psychiatric medications for treating symptoms of depression and depressive disorders. I am also a mother who lost a cherished daughter to suicide after she became dependent on the use of antidepressant medications. When our eldest daughter, Morgan Leslie Segal, graduated from college in 1991, she was a healthy, active young woman who traveled independently all over the world. However, issues with shyness coupled with a desire to gain greater self-assurance led her into therapy with a licensed psychologist. Six months later, following a devastating break from a man she adored, she was given antipsychotic medication to help her cope with her grief. She later became depressed and was given a popular antidepressant concurrently.
http://www.jeannesegal.com/alternatives_depression/meds_depression_caution.htm
VA'S LACK OF ATTENTION TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR VETERANS SPURS ACTION FROM SENATE VETERANS' COMMITTEE
2002 Issues of the Day: -Rockefeller Says That VA Must Make Mental Health Care a Priority-
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, expressed his concern today regarding the lack of attention the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is giving to mental health care for veterans. At a committee hearing this morning, Rockefeller emphasized the importance of making mental health care a priority, as well as his concerns that veterans with mental illness may not be getting the treatment they need.
"So often we forget that long after visible battle wounds are healed, many veterans continue to suffer, not physically, but mentally," Rockefeller said. "We need to make sure that VA is doing everything possible to guarantee that each and every veteran who needs mental health care is receiving that care, whether it is in West Virginia, Nebraska or Arkansas."
Over the past year, VA has treated over 700,000 veterans in speciality mental health services, with more than 455,000 of them suffering from service-connected mental illness. In West Virginia, approximately 1 in 5 patients seen in VA medical centers last year were treated for mental health disorders. Even though the statistics back up the high demand for mental health care, VA has reduced mental health care spending by 23 percent since 1996.
http://rockefeller.senate.gov/news/2002/pr072402c.htm
And....... 2005's Issues of the Day for the Veterans: December 11, 2005
Bush's VA Healthcare Budget a Recipe for Disaster
Republicans call it an increase – Vets' groups call it a "shell game" – Cuts in services and more vets add up to a VA healthcare crisis
by Larry Scott -- VA Watchdog dot Org
http://www.vawatchdog.org/milcom/bushsvahealthcarebudgetarecipefordis...
On November 30, President Bush signed the "Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2006." Much was said about the military and little was said about veterans. The President's only mention of veterans in his 474-word statement was, "The Act also provides funds to support the medical care and other needs of our Nation's veterans."
Why the deliberate lack of attention to the healthcare budget for the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA)? Because it is a cause of great embarrassment to the Bush administration. This VA healthcare budget is such political bad news that the Bush appointees who run the veterans' agency won't even comment on it. Numerous requests for interviews have been met with, "No one is available."
Mental Health Issues are growing across the Western World, a new industry has been spawned and a whole new generation of 'professionally prescribed victims' birthed. The ones who really need the help to adjust - the Veterans, the homeless, the ones stuck in poverty have access to limited, socialised facilities and are frequently not warned of the potential side effects of the drugs prescribed. Often the Doctor is unaware of the side effects...
Given the rising rate of Mental Health and other adjustment issues within the returning Veterans, the figures above can only rise and continue to rise as the lack of support and real treatment continues to ripple through a whole community - from down time at work through personal issues through to extreme domestic violence, the community will pay the price of allowing these issues to be swept away while the chase for Bush Inc continues without let up...
The sheer number of 'new cases' per year suggests that Society itself is under duress, and at breaking point... it is estimated that approximately 25% of the Western populations are medicated for some Mental Health issue or another - and the rate of medicated children is rising... either our parenting skills are failing or our genes are mutating and turning out 'children with issues...' in ever increasing numbers annually... this alone should be concerning every level of society - they won't get any younger, they will become adults and given free will ... if a higher and higher per capita number of children per year suffer some form of 'behavioral or mental health issue...' - why isn't the question being asked: What are we doing to our kids to make them like this?
The issues are returning home every day in our Veterans - the injured ones obviously in need of support and help but those looking perfectly normal on the outside finding none available to help them adjust to the whole 'coming home' experience... while the population flay the Bush Inc Administration for its lies and deceptions and 'mistakes' - they seem to forget that the Servicemen saw their brethren die for those same lies, deceptions and mistakes and that is a great travesty against the valor of those men and women who went in uniform in the name of their Homelands Freedoms...
We expected them to follow orders and do their 'job' and 'defend the ideals' of the Homelands abroad - but they come home and they find that the Leaders are under fire, their support groups significantly and severely underfunded, the people in turmoil and the World standing mute and moot as the saga unfolds in the USA and when they speak out against this disaster and call for Truth and Justice and a restoration of Honor, they are met with little true support from the very Peoples they proposed to protect the ongoing security of...
How many of the returning Veterans from either war must commit suicide, or even more devastating - lose their mental control and kill their families - before they are given what they were promised as Soldiers for their Nations?
How many of them must stand and watch the People bleating platitudes at them and their alleged 'Job Description' - while they watch the President who sent them to War admit he ignored the very document they are sworn to protect - before the People themselves see them as humans, not just 'Soldiers'?
What would you want for your son or daughter, sent to a War that is proving to be contrived and deliberate and brutally unJustified - who stood in the Military Uniform of their Homelands, who took up arms in the name of their Homelands ongoing freedoms and liberties? Would you want them to be underfunded and not get the support that they were promised from the Nation as they put on that uniform?
It's not the Militarys Job Description to fight personal wars on behalf of greedy cartels who wrestle themselves into power over the People, the Homeland and the Resources of the Armed Services. Unless the Western World now openly has Armies for Hire - there is no Justified reason that the Veterans are unable to find the support they need - increasingly so as they take in the Truth of this War they fought in... and the People who they were allegedly fighting to protect!
http://www.lophatham.com
From Lo Phat Ham Forums
