From Our Readers: Priorities for national reform, writes Ron Manderscheid
Ron Manderscheid, PhD, Executive Director, of NACBHDD writes about "Implementing Service Improvements for Adults with Serious Mental Illness" On November 12 and 13, I served as convener and host for a major national meeting in Washington, D.C., designed to identify, build consensus, and prioritize needed improvements in services for adults with serious mental illness. The meeting, "National Action Meeting on Fostering System Reform for Adults with Serious Mental Illness", was convened because National Health Reform will provide a unique opportunity...
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News: Fighting for last place: Florida, Texas, New Mexico
Recognition that there's a dearth of spending for mental health is entering politics this year as candidates on the Right and the Left begin to ask why state budgets are spending more on prisons than treatments. . .
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News: Report on pharma and ghostwriting
Iowa's Sen. Charles Grassley released a new report on medical ghostwriting, one more indication of the ethical lapses and the marketing of medicine which he has been doggedly investigating. Grassley has asked researchers, clinicians, universities, and federal agencies along with the pharmaceutical industry to explain their practices and relationships that have not been less than transparent. This report. . .
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News: Shake up in Australia's mental health leadership
Citing a lack of commitment, and duplicity by Australia's government, John Mendoza, the nation's top adviser on mental health, stepped down from the National Advisory Council on Mental Health.. . .
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News: NIH wants tighter disclosure rules
Proposals for transparency about outside income creating a conflict-of-interest for investigators under contract with the National Institute of Mental Health were released last week and lower the threshold from $10,000 to $5,000 for reporting outside income. . .
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News: Renewing Kendra's Law

News: Insurance companies attempt to delay parity
In what amounts to trying to delay full implementation of the mental health parity law passed in 2008, a coalition of insurance companies went to federal court in April to claim "irreperable harm" and challenge the date when the new regs take effect. The American Psychiatric Association and other advocates oppose these attempts to roll back parity. . .
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Track Legislation: Electronic records for mental and behavioral health care
The Health Information Technology Extension for Behavioral Health Services Act of 2010 was introduced today by Reps. Patrick Kennedy and Tim Murphy to include incentives from the stimulus funding electronic records for behavioral health. As is noted in press release (below) from Rep. Patrick Kennedy's office, "clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric hospitals, substance use treatment facilities and mental health treatment facilities" were initially omitted from the list of health care providers receiving benefits. The bill they introduced corrects for...
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From Our Readers: Recovery, new health care law -- conference topics
Harvey Rosenthal, executive director of New York Association for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS) writes about an upcoming conference: "In our upcoming "6th Annual Executive Seminar on System Transformation," NYAPRS once again seeks to connect experts on the most promising trends supporting the advance of recovery. This includes discussions of wellness, community integration, self-determination, new federal health care law, and innovative service approaches. More than 50 speakers, who represent local, state and national leaders, will spend two days discussing these important...
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News: Passing health reform energizes advocates
Historic, jubilant, transformative were among the adjectives enunciated in the on-going celebrations of Sunday's historic pass of health reform in America. Recalling his mother who battled insurance companies on her deathbed, Pres. Barack Obama said passing this law represents the "core principles that everybody should have security." . .
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News: Catholic nuns, liberal politicians boost health reform prospects

News: Benefits of parity law showing

Track Legislation: Preventing restraints of children -- HR 4247 -- gets bi-partisan committee support.
House Committee on Education and Labor passed HR 4247, a measure opposing restraints and seclusion of children in schools. The bill had widespread support and passed with a bi-partisan vote of 34 to 10 including 5 Republicans. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) has been shepherding this issue. A report from the Government Accounting Office (GAO) about abuses in residential treatment programs was issued in 2008 and you can download it here....
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News: Interim parity regulations hailed

Commentary: Whistleblower says Prop 63 not working in Cal.

News: Models beyond outpatient commitment

News: Conflicts-of-interest halt ADHD guidelines in Australia
Conflicts-of-interest in a panel writing guidelines for ADHD in Australia led the government to halt distribution of the recommendations according to the Australian press. Seven of the nine doctors on the panel received a gift of some form -- meals, international travel, hotels -- from drug companies.
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Consider This: Drug companies disclose
. . .But is that enough?
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Did You Know: Prescription drug prices rose nearly 9 percent in 2009.
Read more in the New York Times about the increase in the cost of drugs based on analysis by Credit Suisse and IMS Health which tracks the pharmaceutical industry. This amounts to $21 billion more than expected and the hikes anticipate changes in negotiation over drug pricing should health reform succeed....
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News: Georgia hospitals unimproved, says judge
Georgia failed to correct problems leading to federal investigations about abuse in psychiatric hospitals, ruled a federal judge. Judge Charles A. Pannell's decision revealed on-going complaints included cases of sexual assault, suspicious deaths, suicide, and physical abuse in the state's seven-hospital system. . .
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News: Al Jazeera reports criminalization of mental illness in US
Al Jazeera's investigative English speaking program, Fault Line, has created a two-part video series about how people with a mental illness are treated in the United States. . .
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Consider This: Thought parity was a done deal?
. . .Think again
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News: Loathsome prison conditions for mentally ill

Consider This: Is talk of rationing a three-dollar bill?
. . .rationing in mental health
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News: Committee probes drug industry-education ties

News: Parity sets stage for reform, says Kennedy

Consider This: Stinginess on mental health reform
. . .what about the 84 million?
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News: Mental health care needs reform and repair
"Behavioral health services are often the first place cuts in coverage are made," said Mental Health America's CEO, David Shern. . .
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News: Lawmakers financially invested in health sector
The release of financial forms on Friday revealed extensive holdings in health care industries by congressional leaders. Total holdings, including those of 30 key leaders, could total $27 million, says The Washington Post. This includes stocks, health-care index funds, and family earnings from serving on industry boards. According to the New York Times "Neither Mr. Baucus, from a ranching family, nor Mr. Grassley, a farmer, have major health-related holdings."...
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News: Integratating mental health and substance use in reform

Consider This: The doctor isn't in
. . .shortages in psychiatry
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News: SAMHSA site invites opinions on health reform
SAMHSA, (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), an agency within the department of Health and Human Services, set up a website inviting contributions "to gain insight into the options that would help ensure these services are met in local community environments through health system reform." Most of the statements posted to date have come from nonprofit advocacy, service or professional organizations with a sprinkling of comments from individuals. Links for those wishing to participate are apparent....
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News: More hospitals announce independence
The medical school at Johns Hopkins University announced a two-stage policy of banning gifts to doctors and ending drug samples for patients. The announcement acknowledged "Industry influence may be subtle, and health care providers often are not aware of the extent to which their judgment may be influenced when they depend on industry to support educational activities or provide drug samples.even small gifts imply reciprocity and that in recent years." Johns Hopkins joins Harvard, which announced a similar policy for...
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Did You Know: More than 470,000 people sought mental health services from community health centers.
Read more about community health centers and Recovery Act grants....
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News: Mental health concern of citizen groups
The current cost of health, at 16 percent of the GDP, is twice that spent by other nations according to a report released by the department of Health and Human Services. The report summarized 3,200 community events held nationwide to elicit citizen concerns about health reform. As Reuters said, "While the need for change is not controversial, conservatives and liberals differ on how that should be approached." Below is a sample of comments pertaining to mental health, listed by state:...
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Consider This: Lobby lawmakers, Patrick Kennedy tells advocates
. . . ask for mental health reform
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News: NAMI scores states
The nation's adult mental health system is a mess, according to a report released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. (NAMI) which released its scorecard.Each of the 50 states were examined on 82 targets such as evidence-based practices or the promotion of consumer-run programs. These were among the benchmarks established by the 2003 New Freedom Commission. No state received the highest grade of "A" for its overall work and the advocacy organization also assessed the strengths and "urgent needs"...
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From Our Readers: Mental health advocate attends health summit
Friends: It was my privilege to be at the White House this afternoon for the President's Health Summit. The President opened the Summit by talking about the Report on Health Care Community Discussions that was distributed to participants and then introducing a firefighter/EMT from Indiana who talked about his experiences dealing with so many people with inadequate or no health coverage. Following the opening session with the President, the Summit moved to five breakout sessions. I can only speak to...
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Did You Know: Clifford W. Beers founded Mental Health America 100 years ago.
Read more about the origins of the nation's oldest mental health advocacy organization (originally called National Committee for Mental Hygiene)....
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News: Pfizer to announce gift
Pfizer announced it will disclose gifts to clinicians and researchers greater than $500 after July 1, 2009. The press release announcing Pfizer's position noted the company had worked with 8,000 investigators in 280 studies during 2008. Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Herb Kohl (D-Wi) are reintroducing a bill to require the disclosure of gifts greater than $100 in an effort to curb financial ties between industry and clinicians....
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News: Priorities under the new President Obama
How will the new administration, even one committed to health reform, be able to change health priorities? In a thoughtful article, "Getting There from Here," in the New Yorker, Atul Gawande considers constraints and challenges influencing opportunities for reform and draws on his own experience as a doctor treating cancer patients in Mass. Kicking off the 111th Congress, the House Appropriations committee released a detailed report on the proposed reinvestment act of 2009. The report enumerates how recommended supplemental appropriations...
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News: Reform medicine, say authors
iStock photo Stories about conflicts-of-interest in psychiatry are percolating regularly, and MIWatch readers will not be surprised by Dr. Marcia Angell's review of three books taking aim at doctors, regulatory agencies, academic medical centers and drug companies. "So many reforms would be necessary to restore integrity to clinical research and medical practice," writes the former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, "that they cannot be summarized briefly." Angell has written extensively about these issues....
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News: Good economy requires health reform
Half of all bankruptcies are tied to health costs President-elect Barack Obama said in a Chicago news conference today. This makes health reform essential, and in the words of the next president, Some may ask how, at this moment of economic challenge, we can afford to invest in reforming our health care system. Well, I ask a different question -- I ask how we can afford not to....If we want to overcome our economic challenges, we must also finally address...
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Consider This: Mental health reform needs input
. . .tell your story to Obama-Biden
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News: Congress moves to reform health
Sen. Max Baucus Congress is wasting no time in setting its health reform agenda or letting letting President-Elect Obama know its priorities. In the Senate, Montana's Max Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is spearheading a substantial project, including a comprehensive report calling for widespread reform of health care: "The link between health care costs and the economy is undeniable. Reforming the health care system is essential to restoring America's overall economy and the financial security of our working...
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Interviews: Q & A with Ron Manderscheid: agenda for reform


Dr. Ron Manderscheid, a national leader in policy and research about mental health and substance use care, discusses goal of the Whole Health Campaign with MIWatch.
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News: Activisits push beds through London
Dressed as patients and orderlies, British activists campaigned for mental health reform while pushing beds through the streets of London on Oct. 10th, World Mental Health Day. They pointed to a 20-fold increase in prescribing antipsychotic medication between 2002 and 2007, and want expanded access to psychological therapies....
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News: Psychiatrist under investigation resigns
Dr. Charles Nemeroff, under investigation for violating federal regulations to guarantee unbiased research while receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health, resigned as chair of department of psychiatry at Emory University. The resignation follows a New York Times story, and conversation in the blogs, about $2.8 million in fees he has received from different pharmaceutical companies. Although Emory had advised him to keep his consulting fees under $10,000, and Nemeroff presumably agreed, he did not. The university was reminded...
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From Our Readers: Angry about the death of Iman Morales
A statement prepared by Mary Dougherty, on behalf of Rights for Imprisoned People with Psychiatric Disabilities (RIPPD) about the death of Iman Morales. Morales died as a result of a taser gun used by the New York City Police Department, Sept. I write this today in solidarity with the family of Iman Morales, a 35-year-old man with mental illness who was tasered to death by police. As community members and activists, we are outraged by yet another instance of...
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News: Lilly agrees to disclose
Zyprexa maker Eli Lilly has agreed to public disclosure of fees it pays physicians who endorse or educate about their products. Lilly is the first pharmaceutical to announce it would disclose even if the Physicians Payments Sunshine Act (H.R. 5605) did not become law. According to a company statement: the public will have access to an Internet database listing its payments to physicians. Lilly will launch this registry as early as the second half of 2009. When first launched, its...
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News: Oregon closes "Cuckoo's Nest" hospital
The hospital where "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was filmed in the 1970s has been closed. Built in 1883, it came to represent the horrors of in-patient psychiatric treatment. Two new hospitals, plus community-based clinics, will replace the Salem facility where, the Statesman Journal reports, an investigation once found the remains of 3,600 patients who had been cremated....
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Consider This: Hats off to Dems
. . .for opening the closet door
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News: Los Angeles jails house patients
National Public Radio visited the Los Angeles County jail, also known as the Twin Towers, where 1,400 mentally ill inmates are incarcerated for offenses ranging from trespassing or false identity to murder. The eight-minute broadcast described conditions reminiscent of 19th century asylums where restraints including chained or naked prisoners....
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News: Conflicts of interest pinpointed again
The relationship between psychiatry and pharma is getting renewed attention as a result of Sen. Charles Grassley's ongoing investigation. The probe began in June focusing on three pediatric psychiatrists whose incomes had been greatly supplanted by a multitude of consulting relationships. An article in Saturday's New York Times focused on "Dr. Alan F. Schatzberg of Stanford, whose $4.8 million stock holdings in a drug development company raised the senator’s concern." Schatzberg is president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association. On Friday,...
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News: North Carolina patches mental health system
After reports that North Carolina spent $400 million on shoddy mental health services, the legislature passed new laws requiring professional services and local accountability. This is an attempt to correct problems resulting from outsourcing to companies with dubious track records....
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News: The year of insurance parity
Negotiations over a law for mental health insurance parity appear to be ending, according to a mid-day report from CQ Politics. This ends a 15-year drive to end discrimination, and caps the careers of two of its congressional sponsors. A sticking point was allegedly resolved when Reps. Patrick Kennedy and Jim Ramstad (who is retiring from Congress), dropped requirements making diagnosis for psychiatric and substance abuse disorders depend on the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. The Senate's bill,...
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Consider This: When the press gets it right. . .
Three items of note
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News: Forum addresses police training in New York
New Yorkers want to know why their city does not have an adequate training program for police to respond to a psychiatric emergency. An open forum took place in which family, experts and authors discussed changes they would like to see.
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MIWatch webcasts: Don Kamin
Don Kamin, Ph.D., spoke at the New York City forum, Implementing Pre-Booking Jail Diversion Programs (sponsored by RIPPD), drawing on 20 years of experience including research indicating less violence, fewer arrests, reduced stigma, and partnerships in communities as a result of police diversion programs....
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News: Georgia plagiarizes mental health report
The blue-ribbon panel studying Georgia's mental health delivery, which released its report just days after receiving a blistering letter from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, plagiarized a 2004 "new vision" from Michigan. The The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which prints side-by-side examples, writes: The pilfered sections of the report diminish eight months of work by the commission, suggesting a study process that lacked sufficient rigor. Even much of what appears to be original work contains the vaguest...
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