Important Bills to Consider Testifying On 3.5, 3.7 & 3.8.13

 www.cga.ct.gov

I'll be testifying on Bills 1023 & 6545 on 3.5.2013 & Bills 5740, 374, 5992 & 262 Friday. Please go to cga.ct.gov to see the Bills, all are very important. One is for Mandatory Behavioral Health screening for ALL Children. So far there are no answers as to who will screen, who the results are reported to and why and where services will be provided. All personal and professional industry testimony to date has illustrated that there are too few service providers, too few who are affordable to families and there are long waiting list for public services. In addition the funding for the in school mental health centers was cut last month. That is only one of the 6 Bills...

And, Bill 1029  Hearing 3.7.2013

AN ACT CONCERNING HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS.

To retain health insurance coverage for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders as currently defined.

Thank you--please use your voice.​

Mental Illness is just a character flaw. Get over it. Man-up!

As our nation continues to debate Mental Health Services few are speaking in public about the perception that Mental illness is a character flaw.  Mental Illness' are serious chronic medical conditions, like diabetes and heart disease.  Is a diabetic a weak person that can't control their pancreas and its production of insulin? If you're born to a family that has a genetic disposition to create cholesterol resulting in heart disease are you too weak of mind to control your endocrine system?  To follow that logic a person who suffers from Mental Illness is too weak to control the chemicals and neurotransmitters in thier brain; the most unexplored organ in the body.  Why is there no parity of coverage and care?  What is parity of care when discussing Mental Health?

Mental illnesses are serious medical illnesses. They cannot be overcome through "will power" and are not related to a person's "character" or intelligence. Mental illness falls along a continuum of severity. Even though mental illness is widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion-about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 Americans-who live with a serious mental illness. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that One in four adults-approximately 57.7 million Americans-experience a mental health disorder in a given year.

http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=about_mental_illness

When you know better do better.

List of Murders by People on Psych Meds.

The following was on Facebook with no credit or source. See below for blog my post.)

“What Drug Date Where Additional

School Shooting Prozac WITHDRAWAL 2008-02-15 Illinois ** 6 Dead: 15 Wounded: Perpetrator Was in Withdrawal from Med & Acting Erratically 
School Shooting Prozac Antidepressant 2005-03-24 Minnesota **10 Dead: 7 Wounded: Dosage Increased One Week before Rampage 
School Shooting Paxil [Seroxat] Antidepressant 2001-03-10 Pennsylvania **14 Year Old GIRL Shoots & Wounds Classmate at Catholic School 
School Shooting Zoloft Antidepressant & ADHD Med 2011-07-11 Alabama **14 Year Old Kills Fellow Middle School Student 
School Shooting Zoloft Antidepressant 1995-10-12 South Carolina **15 Year Old Shoots Two Teachers, Killing One: Then Kills Himself 
School Shooting Med For Depression 2009-03-13 Germany **16 Dead Including Shooter: Antidepressant Use: Shooter in Treatment For Depression 
School Hostage Situation Med For Depression 2010-12-15 France **17 Year Old with Sword Holds 20 Children & Teacher Hostage 
School Shooting Plot Med For Depression WITHDRAWAL 2008-08-28 Texas **18 Year Old Plots a Columbine School Attack 
School Shooting Anafranil Antidepressant 1988-05-20 Illinois **29 Year Old WOMAN Kills One Child: Wounds Five: Kills Self 
School Shooting Luvox/Zoloft Antidepressants 1999-04-20 Colorado **COLUMBINE: 15 Dead: 24 Wounded 
School Stabbings Antidepressants 2001-06-09 Japan **Eight Dead: 15 Wounded: Assailant Had Taken 10 Times his Normal Dose of Depression Med 
School Shooting Prozac Antidepressant WITHDRAWAL 1998-05-21 Oregon **Four Dead: Twenty Injured 
School Stabbing Med For Depression 2011-10-25 Washington **Girl, 15, Stabs Two Girls in School Restroom: 1 Is In Critical Condition 
School Shooting Antidepressant 2006-09-30 Colorado **Man Assaults Girls: Kills One & Self 
School Machete Attack Med for Depression 2001-09-26 Pennsylvania **Man Attacks 11 Children & 3 Teachers at Elementary School 
School Shooting Related Luvox 1993-07-23 Florida **Man Commits Murder During Clinical Trial for Luvox: Same Drug as in COLUMBINE: Never Reported 
School Hostage Situation Cymbalta Antidepressant WITHDRAWAL 2009-11-09 New York **Man With Gun Inside School Holds Principal Hostage 
School Shooting Antidepressants 1992-09-20 Texas **Man, Angry Over Daughter's Report Card, Shoots 14 Rounds inside Elementary School 
School Shooting SSRI 2010-02-19 Finland **On Sept. 23, 2008 a Finnish Student Shot & Killed 9 Students Before Killing Himself 
School Shooting Threat Med for Depression* 2004-10-19 New Jersey **Over-Medicated Teen Brings Loaded Handguns to School 
School Shooting Antidepressant? 2007-04-18 Virginia **Possible SSRI Use: 33 Dead at Virginia Tech 
School Shooting Antidepressant? 2002-01-17 Virginia **Possible SSRI Withdrawal Mania: 3 Dead at Law School 
School Incident/Bizarre Zoloft* 2010-08-22 Australia **School Counselor Exhibits Bizarre Behavior: Became Manic On Zoloft 
School/Assault Antidepressant 2009-11-04 California **School Custodian Assaults Student & Principal: Had Manic Reaction From Depression Med 
School Shooting Prozac Antidepressant 1992-01-30 Michigan **School Teacher Shoots & Kills His Superintendent at School 
School Shooting Threats Celexa Antidepressant 2010-01-25 Virginia **Senior in High School Theatens to Kill 4 Classmates: Facebook Involved: Bail Denied 
School Violence/Murder Antidepressants* 1998-05-04 New York **Sheriff's Deputy Shoots his Wife in an Elementary School 
School Knifing/Murder Meds For Depression & ADHD 2010-04-28 Massachusetts **Sixteen Year Old Kills 15 Year Old in High School Bathroom in Sept. 2009 
School Stabbing Wellbutrin 2006-12-04 Indiana **Stabbing by 17 Year Old At High School: Charged with Attempted Murder 
School Threat Antidepressants 2007-04-23 Mississippi **Student Arrested for Making School Threat Over Internet 
School Suspension Lexapro Antidepressant 2007-07-28 Arkansas **Student Has 11 Incidents with Police During his 16 Months on Lexapro 
School Shooting Antidepressant WITHDRAWAL 2007-11-07 Finland **Student Kills 8: Wounds 10: Kills Self: High School in Finland 
School Shooting Paxil [Seroxat] Antidepressant 2004-02-09 New York **Student Shoots Teacher in Leg at School 
School Threat Prozac Antidepressant 2008-01-25 Washington **Student Takes Loaded Shotgun & 3 Rifles to School Parking Lot: Plans Suicide 
School Shooting Plot Med For Depression 1998-12-01 Wisconsin **Teen Accused of Plotting to Gun Down Students at School 
School/Assault Zoloft Antidepressant 2006-02-15 Tennessee **Teen Attacks Teacher at School 
School Shooting Threat Antidepressant 1999-04-16 Idaho **Teen Fires Gun in School 
School Hostage Situation Paxil & Effexor Antidepressants 2001-04-15 Washington **Teen Holds Classmates Hostage with a Gun 
School Hostage Situation Antidepressant WITHDRAWAL 2006-11-28 North Carolina **Teen Holds Teacher & Student Hostage with Gun 
School Knife Attack Med for Depression 2006-12-06 Indiana **Teen Knife Attacks Fellow Student 
School Massacre Plot Prozac Withdrawal 2011-02-23 Virginia **Teen Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison For Columbine Style Plot 
School Shooting Celexa & Effexor Antidepressants 2001-04-19 California **Teen Shoots at Classmates in School 
School Shooting Celexa Antidepressant 2006-08-30 North Carolina **Teen Shoots at Two Students: Kills his Father: Celexa Found Among his Personal Effects 
School Shooting Meds For Depression & ADHD 2011-03-18 South Carolina ** Teen Shoots School Official: Pipe Bombs Found in Backpack 
School Shooting Threat Antidepressant 2003-05-31 Michigan **Teen Threatens School Shooting: Charge is Terrorism 
School Stand-Off Zoloft Antidepressant 1998-04-13 Idaho **Teen [14 Years Old] in School Holds Police At Bay: Fires Shots 
School Shooting Antidepressant WITHDRAWAL 2007-10-12 Ohio **Teen [14 Years Old] School Shooter Possibly on Antidepressants or In Withdrawal 
School Threat Antidepressants 2008-03-20 Indiana **Teen [16 Years Old] Brings Gun to School: There Is a Lockdown 
SchoolSuicide/Lockdown Med For Depression 2008-02-20 Idaho”

END QUOTE

Pharmaceuticals have played a huge role in increasing the quality of life for many who suffer from mental illness. This blog post will address the argument being bantered about this week and implied above: The argument that Mental Illness is the problem, not guns.  I'm a supporter of the Second Amendment so the argument of Mental Health Reform vs. Gun Ownership has no correlation to me.  It's an attempt to put Mental Health on the hot seat to divert attention from conversations on guns.  They are both on the hot seat now because they were two of many pieces to the Newtown puzzle. I'm happy the conversations are happening but saddened for the reason...

I'm sure the point of the Facebook post above was one thing while to me it's something altogether different. My take-away is the fact that Pharmaceutical Companies and their Lobbyists have played a huge role in dismantling Mental Health Services in the US.  They've convinced Insurance Companies that it's cheaper to pay for a three-day hospital stay and have patients leave with an RX but with no support services.  When in fact it isn't (see blog post on the W.H.O.).  The Insurance Industry joined the Pharmaceutical Lobby to dismantle Mental Health Service funding and Insurance Companies responsibilities to policyholders.

Was the premise of the dismantling approach to try a RX if there was no clear-cut diagnosis?  Try every drug there is, keep trying, hopefully something will work.  This approach shows no regard for the effects of the strong meds on the mind, often growing teen minds and all the hormones that come into play. What are these 'trials' doing to the brain?  How long will it take for the RX to level out in the body and work?  What are the side effects (see Hospital Checklist tab above)?  Do the caregivers have the training and ability to watch their loved ones 24/7 until the proper med is found and works? Do they just keep trying until something works or the person snaps if it doesn’t? 

If an industry or two push Doctors to prescribe meds and free up Hospital beds they should have some responsibility, right?  Cause & Effect.  Yet, the resulting snap isn’t their problem nor their responsibility, its societies.

The US Pharmaceutical Industry alone made $300-$400 billion dollars in 2010 and they make nothing from support services.  Their largest customer is the Insurance Industry. US consumers also pay the most for each medicine we purchase, with or without insurance.  Why?  We pay for the R&D too.

I'd like to see these two industries help us help our loved ones by taking a portion of their profits to fund local support services.  There's no downside to giving back to their customers, is there?

Quite a different takeaway.

Get involved.   Ask your elected officials to look at the real issues and problems (see Advocate/Lobby tab above).

Stigma.

Stigma.  Our mentally ill loved ones deal with it every single day of their lives.  It's discrimination, a fear based form of shame by those who don't understand.

The only shame one should carry is how we each treat those less fortunate than us.  The mentally ill certainly didn't chose to have an illness of the brain.  They have enough to worry about, stigma isn't something that we need to add to their burden.

I've looked into my loved ones eyes and felt the pain that the 'words' and actions of others caused.  It's difficult for our loved ones to be around people judging them all the time.  

Open one person's eyes to the plight of mental illness and you begin to change the world.