10/10: World Mental Health Day or World Psychiatric Drugging Day?

Just now today, I received a note from the US federal government's mental health section about World Mental Health Day.

I've copied that note at the bottom of this blog entry.

You see, the psychiatric industry declared 10 October as World Mental Health Day.

And the US federal government is supporting that.

Sounds innocent enough?

What's not generally known, is that one of the main promoters of World Mental Health Day is the World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH). There are some nice folks involved at WFMH. But when I asked them about the amount of funding from the pharmaceutical industry, I was told basically, "Don't worry... much of that pharmaceutical funding is just channeled into World Mental Health day."

My point is, the World Mental Health Day may end up promoting more and more psychiatric drugging.

This doesn't have to be some "conspiracy" by the drug industry.

It's just the sheer momentum of massive funding by the pharmaceutical corporations. So that during World Mental Health Day important facts get left off, like the amount of over-drugging in the world, and the need for non-drug alternatives.

By the way, that pledge for wellness by Boston University cited below chose to use "mental illness" language... 

I notice the person to "sign on" to this BU pledge is a federal employee and friend, Paolo del Vecchio. 

How about we also ask Paolo why... Why the over-drugging isn't mentioned, and why language isn't found that's more inclusive than "mental illness."

If you would like to sign on, please email Paolo del Vecchio, Associate Director for Consumer Affairs, SAMHSA/CMHS at paolo.delvecchio@samhsa.hhs.gov.

Okay, here's a note I sent to the US federal Center for Mental Health Services about their public note promoting World Mental Health Day;

~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks, 

But a friendly note: 

You apparently left off one of the key causes of the high mortality rate: 

over-drugging

I've personally corresponded with the authors, and of course they say this may be one of the issues -- their report itself says so (see excerpt and one of the conclusions below). 

Please understand our independent nonprofit is pro-choice, and many of our members choose willingly to take prescribed psychiatric medications. 

However, it is precisely these members whose lives are on the line when over-prescription is done without adequate advocacy, information and alternatives.

If "integrating" mental and physical health just means even more over-drugging without adequate information, alternatives and advocacy.... then even more tragedy will unfold. 

Please note that leaders of the World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH) told me that much of their pharmaceutical company donations goes directly into funding World Mental Health Day.

I look forward to your response. 

David

From the report itself....

Beginning with the introduction of clozapine in 1991, and the subsequent introduction of five newer generation

antipsychotics over the next decade or so, antipsychotic prescribing in the US has moved to the use of these second generation antipsychotics. This has occurred despite their significantly greater cost, largely due to a decrease in neurologic side effects and the perception that people using them may experience better outcomes, especially improvement in negative symptoms. However, with time and experience the second generation antipsychotic medications have become more highly associated with weight gain, diabetes, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome and the superiority of clinical response (except for clozapine) has been questioned. Other psychotropic medications that are associated with weight gain may also be of concern. One example is mood stabilizing agents such as valproic acid and lithium. The concern may be heightened especially when these agents are used in combination with second generation antipsychotics. 

Conclusions included:

• Whenever possible, avoid use of medications that are more strongly associated with conditions such as obesity, diabetes and hyperlipidemia

• Reduce polypharmacy

~~~~~~~~~

HERE'S THE BEGINNING OF THE NOTE I RECEIVED FROM US FEDERAL MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM, THAT I AM RESPONDING TO

From: "McGee, Leah (SAMHSA/CMHS)" <Leah.McGee@SAMHSA.HHS.GOV>
Date: 9 October 2009 1:39:47 PM PDT
To: CMHS_ADCA_ENEWS@LIST.NIH.GOV
Subject: World Mental Health Day 2009
Reply-To: "McGee, Leah (SAMHSA/CMHS)" <Leah.McGee@SAMHSA.HHS.GOV>

____________________________________________________

CMHS CONSUMER AFFAIRS E-NEWS OCTOBER 9, 2009

____________________________________________________

World Mental Health Day 2009

Among the 5.1 million adults who reported an unmet need for mental health care and did not receive mental health services in the past year, several barriers to care were reported. These included an inability to afford care (42.7 percent), believing at the time that the problem could be handled without care (28.6 percent), not knowing where to go for care (19.8 percent), and not having the time to go for care (13.9 percent).

October 10 is World Mental Health Day, a global awareness campaign promoting the critical need to bring mental health care to a higher level of importance. This year’s theme, "Mental Health in Primary Care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental Health," will address the need for mental health services to have parity within the general and primary health care system.

The World Mental Health Day 2009 campaign intends to draw worldwide attention to the growing body of knowledge on integrating mental health services into primary care and will stress the all too-often neglected fact that mental health is an integral element of every individual’s overall health and well-being.

To help bridge this gap, SAMHSA supports The Pledge for Wellness, a national wellness action plan for people with mental illness. People who suffer from serious mental illness, on average, die 25 years earlier than the general population, but most deaths are due to preventable and treatable medical conditions such as cardiovascular, pulmonary, and infectious diseases. SAMHSA’s Pledge for Wellness aims to reduce that striking disparity by reducing early mortality by 10 years over the next 10-year period...