Group urges Congress to pass mental health parity this year

More than 180 organizations, including the American Hospital Association, on Dec. 10 urged Congress to pass a “strong mental health and addiction parity law this year.”

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Mental Health Liaison Group said Congress is “poised to pass historic full parity legislation if policy differences can be resolved to produce one bill that is acceptable to both the Senate and House. We have appreciated your longtime support for this issue. Please work with committee chairs and parity sponsors to pass strong parity legislation and send it to the President before the end of this year.”

Comment on NIMH Strategic Plan

You have six (6) more days to e-mail to USA
National Institute of Mental Health about their
"Strategic Plan." Deadline: This Fri., 21 Dec.

NEEDED: Voices for Choices in Mental Health!

Why you ought to call on NIMH for research on more
CHOICES in mental health system other than drugs,
drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs and more drugs.

One of the biggest funders of research in the mental health field on
Earth is the USA National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

NIMH is requesting public comment, which you can e-mail to them,
about a draft of their "Strategic Plan" about NIMH research goals
over the next three to five years. Their deadline to receive e-mail
comments is *this* Friday, 21 December, 2007.

E-mail to: strategicplanning2@mail.nih.gov

Why Bother?

MindFreedom International has a copy of the 26-page NIMH Draft
Strategic Plan.

To help you understand it here is...

~~~~~~~~~~~

NIMH DRAFT STRATEGIC PLAN -- BY THE NUMBERS!

98 - number of times NIMH draft uses any of words "drug, medication,
biological, illness, disease, genetics"

38 - number of times NIMH draft uses word "brain"

16 - number of times NIMH draft uses word "recovery"

2 - number of times NIMH draft refers to the "mind"

0 [zero] - number of times NIMH draft uses any of the words
"counseling, consumers, survivors, peer, mutual support, empowerment,
self-determination, rights, employment, jobs, housing, psychosocial,
wholistic, holistic, psychotherapy"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately, the lion's share of NIMH research on mental wellness
in the past has with few exceptions gone to the following ten (10)
research areas:

drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs

NIMH is considering getting into an 11th area.

And that would be "more drugs."

Seriously, MindFreedom is pro-choice about personal health care
decisions, and many MFI members choose to take prescribed psychiatric
drugs. But we all stand UNITED in saying that the corporate drug
industry model is choking out non-drug choices, including jobs,
housing, peer support, psychosocial approaches, and more.

Only one choice is no choice at all!

So why bother to e-mail in your comments?

Because, at least, that way NIMH can't claim they never heard from
citizens with another point of view!

~~~~~~~~~~~

* * * ACTION ACTION ACTION * * *

VOICES FOR CHOICES IN MENTAL HEALTH CARE!

ACT NOW! DEADLINE: This Friday, 21 December 2007.

E-mail in *your* comment to NIMH.

Sample message: Ask in your own words that far more non-drug choices
be included in the draft plan!

E-mail your comment TODAY to NIMH to:

strategicplanning2@mail.nih.gov

If you wish, bcc to news@mindfreedom.org for possible publication on
the MFI web site.

~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE INFORMATION ON NIMH REQUEST FOR COMMENTS

You can read about the NIMH request for comments here:

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/strategic-planning-reports/nimh-draft-
strategic-plan.shtml

or use this web address:

http://tinyurl.com/2w2fwq

You may download a PDF (789 kb) draft of the NIMH strategic plan here:

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/strategic-planning-reports/nimh-draft-
strategic-plan.pdf

or use this web address:

http://tinyurl.com/37bzv7

You may e-mail your comment to NIMH to:

strategicplanning2@mail.nih.gov

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why You Ought to Bother to E-Mail Your Input Into NIMH About their
Draft Strategic Plan!

by Tom Wilson, MindFreedom Lane County Advisory Committee

This is an opportunity to contribute your thoughts to the direction
and funding of mental health research in the USA over the next 3 to 5
years.

If we do not respond we can expect more of the same:

New drugs and more new drugs.

As we know, silence gets us no where, please respond!

If we want to get past temporary stability at a terrible cost through
drug therapy it is imperative that we get research dollars focused
dollars elsewhere also.

MindFreedom board member Al Galves, PhD, said,

"I believe it is important to continue studying the brain, nervous
system and its functioning. However, the scientific evidence is that
direct manipulation of brain chemistry and brain structure through
psychotropic drugs, electroconvulsive treatment and other
psychosurgery is only marginally effective in helping individuals who
are diagnosed with behavioral health disorders when compared to
placebo and is very harmful.

"I would encourage the NIMH to put a significantly larger percentage
of its budget and its effort into research on a wide variety of
interventions that are more likely to be helpful to persons diagnosed
with behavioral health disorders and less likely to harm them.
Examples of such interventions include:

" * All kinds of non-drug psychotherapy - not just the ones that can
be manualized. Included should be Gestalt therapies, psychoanalysis,
other psychodynamic therapies, expressive therapies, narrative
therapy, solution-focused therapy, hypnotherapy, modern group
technique (based on Hyman Spotnitz' work), body-centered
psychotherapy, Reikian therapy, etc., etc., etc

" * Other forms of intervening to help persons diagnosed with
behavioral health disorders including employment assistance,
supportive housing, peer specialist training, Soteria-type houses,
expanded clubhouses, traditional education, non-traditional
education, self-directed care (giving patients control over some the
money that is allocated for treatment), etc., etc., etc.

"The bottom line is that I encourage NIMH to spend a much larger
percentage of its budget on research and demonstrations that promise
to help people in the immediate future, i.e. within five to ten
years. That is not true of brain research."

- end of alert -

E-mail your comment to NIMH by Friday, 21 December 2007:

strategicplanning2@mail.nih.gov

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More news at the MindFreedom News Web Site:

http://www.mindfreedom.org

Don't see a news item? Submit it to news@mindfreedom.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Build united strength in numbers!

JOIN MINDFREEDOM INTERNATIONAL!

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

* Win human rights campaigns in mental health.

* End abuse by the psychiatric drug industry.

* Support self-determination of psychiatric survivors.

* Promote safe, humane, effective options in mental health.

MindFreedom is a nonprofit human rights group that unites 100 sponsor
and affiliate groups with individual members.

MindFreedom is one of the very few totally independent activist
groups in the mental health field with no funding from governments,
drug companies, religions, corporations, or the mental health system.

All human rights supporters are invited to join or donate here:

Proactive Mad with Krystal Klarity

I was sitting in a public place yesterday and could not help but hear a conversation that was taking place between to people acting out their assigned roles. I feel so more in tune with this since I have been on both sides of this experience as a ‘helper’ and also as the one being ‘helped. It has given me a more complete view of the total experience you might say. Although I must admit I was more on the side of the ‘helped’ than the helper even before I got psychiatrized myself for seeing what ‘others’ (who are usually the ones helping to reduce my awareness for me) did not see.

Resident Education and Perceptions of Recovery in Serious Mental Illness: Observations and Commentary

OBJECTIVE: Recovery is emerging as a guiding influence in mental health service delivery and transformation. As a consequence, the expectations and curricular needs of trainees (as future stakeholders in a transformed, recovery-oriented system) are now of considerable importance. METHOD: To this end, resident-led focus groups were held at the Medical College of Georgia to obtain perceptions of the Recovery Model. Certified Peer Support Specialists (CPSS) attended and topics covered were the Recovery Model, the CPSS training curriculum, and developing a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) with consumers.RESULTS: Advantages and disadvantages of the Recovery model were discussed, with residents generally expressing cautious optimism regarding implementation of these principles, yet concern regarding the potential for diminishing confidence and support for traditional professional services.

SAMHSA and Ad Council Unveil National Mental Health Anti-Stigma Campaign

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in partnership with the Ad Council, today launched a national awareness public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to decrease the negative attitudes that surround mental illness and encourage young adults to support their friends who are living with mental health problems.

Local organizing Teleconference

nterested in organizing LOCALLY in your town, city, region?

Interested in joining or starting an affiliate or sponsor group?

MindFreedom is having a special MF-GRASSROOTS teleconference *this*
Sunday, 16 December, about local organizing and activism and
affiliate building!

The time will be: 1 pm pacific USA which is 4 pm eastern USA. Outside
USA that would be 2200 in Germany, 2100 UTC, 8 am in Melbourne, etc.

Of course, all of you are invited!!!!!!

Celia Brown, MindFreedom board president, will be on to say a few
words about local organizing and answer questions. I'll be on too to
answer questions.

We can also hear about your suggestions and ideas for local
organizing, including your ideas and experiences. We can exchange
support and ideas, and build the EXCITEMENT AND PASSION for local
organizing!!!

If you are interested e-mail us OFF LIST at news@mindfreedom.org

I will then e-mail you the call-in information and passcode to get on
the call.

There is no extra cost for your call, but it's not toll free. It's
just a 'regular' long distance phone call, and then you can be on the
teleconference with others.

Again, to be on the call you need to let me know soon, e-mail us off
list at news@mindfreedom.org

And a reminder:

* There is a MindFreedom e-mail discussion list about local
organizing called mf-grassroots. About two dozen members are already
exchange tips and ideas, asking questions. Frank Blankenship, chair
of the Affiliate Support Committee, moderates it, and helps answer
questions. I'm on it, as are Celia and Mary from the board. You are
invited to join that list here:

http://www.intenex.net/lists/listinfo/mf-grassroots

* There is newly-organized info about AFFILIATES and local organizing
here on our web site:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/as

Mental health parity law will help get care to those who are in need

A sharply divided Congress apparently still can't agree on a farm bill. It lacks the votes to override presidential vetoes on key federal funding bills. It also has no single answer on how to get health-coverage for America's 47 million uninsured. The list of pressing issues that lack consensus and appear likely to be deferred to "next year."

With congressional leaders bogged down on divisive issues, they risk losing the opportunity to pass legislation on which there's widespread agreement. For example, Ohio stands to lose if Congress fails to pass legislation to end insurance-discrimination based on mental illness -- so-called "mental health parity."

Care for some humor?

The satiric publication Onion has been skewering the rampant use of
psychiatric labeling, drugging and abuse for years. Find a link to
the most recent piece along with more than a dozen other examples here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/mental-health-arts/humor/onion

Common Dreams

Martha Rosenberg on the Common Dreams website explores the
pharmaceutical industry's reach:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/psych-drug-corp/many-faces-of-big-pharma

or go directly to:

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/12/05/5622/

Willard Suitcase Project Exposes Psychiatric History

The New York Times ran an article about a special exhibit in New York
that exposes the history of the psychiatric system in a very personal
way.

MFI board president Celia Brown lives in New York said, "I'm so proud
of the work that Darby Penney and Peter Stastny did. I remember when
they were researching the suitcases from WIllard. I also think the NY
Times did a great job in reporting and nice quotes from Darby. This
is the kind of story that can educate the public on the horrors of
the mental health system."

More info:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/history/ny-times-willard-suitcase

Or go directly to:

http://tinyurl.com/27clzh