Eli Lilly contributed more than other companies ($2.78 million); most of this money went to NAMI's "Campaign to End Discrimination" against the mentally ill. This is nothing but "a marketing scheme aimed at forcing insurance companies and government health care programs to quit 'discriminating' against [Pharma's] mentally ill customers, and pay for all the pills they want to sell to the steady stream of customers they plan to recruit with mass mental health screening projects like TeenScreen." (Pringle 2005b)
TeenScreen plays on fears of teen suicide, just as Fosamax plays on the fears of broken hip bones; mental health screening is hyped as a prevention program that can reduce teen suicide by identifying and "treating" teens at risk. However, a US Preventive Services Task Force report found no evidence that screening reduces suicide attempts or mortality, and that existing screening tools do not accurately identify suicide risk. In addition, the screenings take place at school, often bypassing parental consent. (Pringle 2005d) The TMAP antidepressant drugs, which have been billed as miraculous treatment for depression, do not live up to their hype. They have been shown to increase suicidal thoughts and behavior in children. Their use with children is banned in the United Kingdom. However in the US they have only an FDA "blackbox warning label," and are not banned with children. Finally, if these drugs were really effective, one would expect to find a significant reduction in suicide rates following their introduction. This is not the case. (Berenson 2005) Which is to say, the SSRI's listed on TMAP offer no benefit over sugar pills; simple physical exercise is as effective, with better long-term results, than the drugs. In sum, the SSRI's provide very little benefit for the very high risks associated with their use. (Abramson 2004).
TeenScreen uses a 52 question, computerized, self-administered test that takes just 10 minutes to complete. This screening tool allegedly identifies at least six mental disorders, including "social phobia, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, major depression, alcohol and drug abuse and suicidality." Here is a sample question:
1) When nothing was fun for you and you just weren't interested in anything?
2) When you couldn't think as clearly or as fast as usual?
3) Have you often felt nervous or uncomfortable when you have been with a group of children or young people - - say, like in the lunchroom at school or a party?
What normal young person has not felt one or all of these things in a given year? Kids who answer yes to even some questions will be referred to a psychiatrist, opened to the diagnosis of mental illness, and "treated" with prescribed drugs. (Pringle 2005b) This process can stigmatize them and change their lives forever. Meanwhile, the message being sent is that anytime you don't like how you feel, think, or act, all you have to do is take a pill. The questions also appear to be carefully crafted to introduce self-doubt about one's normalcy; merely taking the screening exam introduces ideas that can erode normal coping ability. How many American children will begin careers as mental patients through this process?
THE TRUE ORIGIN OF THE NEW FREEDOM COMMISSION
This is a report of a speech given by Laurie Flynn (TeenScreen & NAMI) in 2004:
At the 2004 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's (AACAP) annual meeting, Laurie Flynn made an eye-opening statement while giving a presentation on TeenScreen. She admitted her own covert role in creating the NFC by inserting a few words into Bush's campaign speech prior to his election. Once Bush was "on the record" that he would form a commission, Flynn and others coerced President Bush into keeping that "promise." In the same presentation, she said that Hogan's appointment as the chair of the NFC was "not entirely by accident."
Flynn stated: "...one of the things that we did here was to build on President Bush, not a major promoter of these kinds of initiatives, but to build on actually an opportunity that came to me while I was still at NAMI. I had worked for many years with Senator Pete Domenici and Paul Wellstone around the parity issue. And Senator Domenici hosted Candidate Bush, in New Mexico, where Candidate Bush declared his support for parity. This was as far as we could tell the last time that he has supported parity, - [laughter] - but he supported it that day in Albuquerque in front of the media, and I was one of a couple of people invited to add some remarks to his speech. And I was able, with a colleague, whose idea it was, it wasn't even my idea, in fact, I tried to talk him out of it, I'll confess, I said to him, 'What the heck good is a Commission?" He was, at that time, Commissioner of Mental Health in Virginia and said, 'Listen, they have, ya know, beat me up with Commissions in Virginia, this could be good!'. So, we put into this speech, and it survived the edit process, a line that Candidate Bush spoke, 'And if I'm elected, I will convene a Commission, to look at why our public sector and our mental health system are not able to do the job our citizens deserve,' or some such....anyways, he said 'I'm havin' a Commission'. We had him on the record, once he was elected it took awhile, alot of r-e-m-i-n-d-e-r-s had to come to him that he had said this, we had to keep pushing this message and ultimately Senator Dominici had to r-e-m-i-n-d him that he had promised this. But indeed, a Commission was convened..."
PR AND MARKETING ARE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE
In 2002, TeenScreen hired the PR firm Rabin Strategic Partners to make sure that every teen in the US has access to this free mental health check-up. This alliance has been frighteningly effective. Rabin provided TeenScreen with a "ten-year strategy including the marketing, public policy and funding steps"and hired and managed public relations, lobbying and advertising to implement the plan." Rabin added proudly, "now on a daily basis, we track the media and political landscape to make sure the plan meshes with the current environment." (rabinpartners.com website) This kind of work is expensive; who is paying for it?
Rabin's strategy is paying off; a 2004 progress report stated, "[Screening] programs are now established in 100 communities in 34 states. 19 national groups have endorsed"the screening of youth. There is a waiting list of 250 communities interested in screening programs. There are three relevant bills pending in Congress and six state governments are working on plans to spread screening programs statewide." (Pringle 2005b) This is astounding progress after only two years public relations work.
SAMHSA BACKS AWAY FROM TEENSCREEN AND TMAP
On October 17, 2005 a meeting took place between Charles Currie, the head of SAMHSA and several advocacy groups, including the Alliance for Human Research Protection (AHRP) and the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology (ICSPP). Charles Currie backed away from both TeenScreen and TMAP saying, "TeenScreen is not a model program nor is it or any other screening program mentioned anywhere in the Federal Mental Health Action Agenda"[and it] does not support medication algorithms." Currie added, "The New Freedom Commission is not the official position of the Bush Administration."
On one hand Currie's statements are evidence that the voices of watchdog organizations critical of TeenScreen and TMAP are being heard; the Bush administration appears to be backing away from its public support of the NFC itself. However, SAMHSA funding patterns continue to support the NFC recommendations: "Unless SAMHSA actually stops funding grants that include screening and TMAP style treatment and the Bush administration puts out some sort of statement to the states that it does not recommend either of these, Currie's statement is merely symbolic. Congress appropriated $20 million"to implement the NFC recommendations including screening in the current physical year and the US House has passed $26 millions for the same grants this year, so we will definitely be seeing more state legislation and more state plans to do screening. [Meanwhile] SAMHSA, HHS, and the Departments of Education and Justice are still currently funding grants that include mental health screening." (AHRP 2005)
CHOICES
Do we really want to adopt a public mental health policy that exposes anyone, adult or child, to the high risk of harm caused by these drugs for little or no short term health benefits - - and at such a huge cost to American taxpayers? Only the drug companies will benefit from such public policy. Can we really feel safe when our federal and state governments are so strongly influenced by Pharma money?
THE WISDOM OTHER CULTURES: Where profit prevails, ritual fails.
My own work is a synthesis strategic therapy developed by Jay Haley and Cloe Madanes, and symbolic anthropology developed by Victor and Edith Turner. Western cultures specialize in studying things and individuals - - especially the biological interior of individuals. Other cultures specialize in symbolism and social relationships. To paraphrase John McKnight, cultural wisdom is embodied in stories, not studies. We have a lot to learn from these cultures. African cultures offer an especially rich body of knowledge.
The Turner's studied Ndembu ritual in Africa in 1952. (Turner, V. 1967) After Victor's death in 1980 Edie returned to do a 30-year restudy of the Ndembu. (Turner, E. 1995) In 1996 she told me, "Their rituals have gotten better. They cure more people." This surprised me and I asked, "How have they managed that?" "In 1952," she said, "they tried to cure everything with ritual. Now they have learned to send the 'TB cases' to the hospital and cure everything else with ritual." I shook my head and laughed as I replied, "During that same time we began sending everyone to the hospital for everything."
How have the Ndembu managed to emphasize the important distinction between medicine and ritual while we blurred that boundary? Like most Africans, they are poor, so pharmaceutical interests have not medicalized them. In the absence of market pressures the Ndembu developed a balanced approach to healing that recognizes the medical and the social needs of human beings.
Like the Ndembu, we must restore a proper balance between medicine and ritual. The drug companies would like us to believe that "you can't talk to disease." I counter that, "you can't medicate meaning." As human beings we create meaning only in relationship to one another. Rediscovering ritual means rediscovering our capacity to build, maintain and repair strong relationships. There are no short cuts in this process - - not even through the promised land of medical miracles.
Meanwhile, let me leave you with these thoughts: the pharmaceutical corporations have vast resources, which they will surely use to exploit the findings of the genome project. (Healy 2002; Black 2005) Based on the Pharma behavior outlined above, which can only be characterized as ruthless, what do you think we should expect from Gadsden's gang as it develops the first generation of biogenetic pharmaceuticals?
If we can't keep ourselves safe and free, how will we insure these rights for our children?
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