Warning: A Psychiatric tsuNAMI is Upon U.S.

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Well, our government is at it again.

It is not clear if this is the last stop, or where in the process we even are, but as best I can tell: happening any moment, Congressman Tim Murphy (R, Pennsylvania) will be making another speech at another hearing about the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (H.R. 2646) which is now part of a new bill, H.R. 34.

H.R. 2646 was the controversial legislative package that did everything from increasing and sanctioning state-sponsored forced and court-ordered psychiatry to the re-organization of SAMHSA. There was not a group that went unscathed: babies, pregnant and lactating women, children, teens, adults, and veterans. The mixing of drug experimentation, programming, payments, delivery, tracking systems, prison systems, psychiatric systems, medical systems, educational systems—everything accounted for in 996 pages.

This new bill, introduced on the day after Thanksgiving, November 25, 2016 is part of a pattern of the government trying to slip controversial psychiatric policy through when no one is thought to be watching. We recently saw this with the FDA’s shock treatment regulation for comment being released days before the new year and due the day after a celebrated holiday.

This bill, H.R. 34, the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2015 [21st Century Cures Act] is the subject of a hearing at the Capitol, in H-313, tonight on Tuesday, November 29, 2016 at 5:00 PM. Among the most problematic issues this bill presents are multiple provisions for forced psychiatry not limited to IOC/AOT, ACT Teams, and Prison Psychiatry.

H.R. 34 also includes: SAMHSA reorganization, condoning of HIPPAA violations, electronic health records, a study of peer support specialists for future controls of the field, multiple attacks on young people and veterans, and a host of other potential human rights violations. Psychiatry is a fraud and this bill perpetuates it.

Tell your legislators to VOTE NO on H.R. 34!

Demand that your legislators stop sneaking controversial, damaging bills into other bills at the last minute. What is being called a “simple parliamentary procedure” seems rather shady to me. The legislature has not been able to pass some version of Murphy’s bill for years, and now they are going to try to sneak it in merged with the 21st Century Cures Act under the title Education, Research and Tsunami Warning Act of 2015. These actions further problematize our legislative processes.

It is urgent that people realize that no child will grow up without psychiatric evaluation. All people will become, in a generation or two, acclimated to being psychiatrized; psychiatry and its arms of drugs and institutions will become even more standard in our society.

At the very moment that people are becoming more vocal about the need for equality, eliminating racism and racist practices and systems, calling out sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and other forms of structural oppression, and addressing the outright fraud and other structural problems of psychiatry and its subdivisions, the government will solidify psychiatric practice in our society. This includes a great expansion of psychiatric reach into the prison industry and court systems.

Do not be fooled, this is a one way path that will allow the new administration the type of reach they want to keep us contained as they break down the existing structure, creating greater disparities, and further subjecting us, as a people who are already often oppressed, into further social control and subjugation to psychiatry.

Follow up with your legislators, and all legislators you can. Inform them about the dangers of psychiatry. Inform them about the dangers of this bill. Tell them that a bill that has been combined with multiple other bills totaling 996 pages (and involving who knows how many billions of dollars in taxpayer resources)—a bill that was introduced 3 business days prior to its hearing and 4 days prior to its assumed vote, under the name of a bill that has already passed, but has been deleted and replaced by this mess that has not been able to pass on its own for years—is not acceptable.

I am sure analyses of what the bill entails need to be made and many are working on making them. For now, take action. Call your elected officials today, tonight, tomorrow, and continue to do so to make your voice heard. The pro-psychiatry, pro-forced psychiatric treatment advocates are launching campaigns against us. We need to speak out, once again, for ourselves. No one else will. Make your calls now.

Find your Representatives in Congress

Find your Senators

H.R. 34 Bill Text

H.R. 34 Hearing Information

Those who want to take a closer look at this bill, please read on:

Even a cursory glance at the Table of Contents and the twenty-five titles it encompasses makes one have to take a deep breath to get the scope of how this bill can fundamentally transform our society—and not for the better.

Division A – 21st Century Cures starts off with Title I, NIH Innovation Projects and State Responses to Opioid Abuse. Title II includes Innovation Projects and includes privacy protections for human research subjects—a section called “High Risk, High Reward Research” is included here, as is the development of a “Taskforce specific to pregnant and lactating women.” These need to be read carefully.

Title III is Development and includes provisions such as patient-focused drug development, advancing new drug therapies, and a host of other sections designed for research on physical health.

Title V addresses Savings and this looks at issues of Medicare and Medicaid, and affects the Affordable Care Act.

Section VI looks at Leadership and Accountability and this is where the re-organization of SAMHSA is laid out and the provisions for the establishment of the “Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee” can be found.

Title VII is designed for “Ensuring mental and substance use disorders prevention, treatment, and recovery programs keep pace with science and technology” and has both regional and national goals.

Title VIII is for “Supporting state prevention activities and responses to mental health and substance use disorder needs” that work on block grants.

Title IX is for “Promoting access to mental health and substance use disorder care” and these include grants for “treatment and recovery for homeless individuals”; “jail diversion programs”; “promoting integration of primary and behavioral health care”; “National Suicide Prevention Line” and other types of programs that track and turn in people to the system, acting as a pipeline to psychiatry. Section 9014 is “Assisted outpatient treatment” and Section 9015 is the Assertive Community Treatment grant program. It is important for people to specifically speak out against Sections 9014 and 9015 as inherently problematic for protecting human rights.

Subtitle B of Title IX is focused on “Strengthening the Health Care Workforce” and this includes education and training programs. Subtitle C targets college campuses.

Title X is for “Strengthening mental and substance use disorder care for children and adolescents” and increases pediatric access, programming, treatment, and interventions for young people, “screening and treatment for maternal depression” and Section 10006 is particularly worrisome, “Infant and early childhood mental health promotion, intervention, and treatment.”

Title XI is the loss of privacy rights under HIPAA (you may recall issues around Matsui’s bill that was basically incorporated into the structure).

Title XII further strengthens “Mental Health Parity” which works on the premise that psychiatry is as legitimate a science as physical health medicine, and perpetuates the fraud of the pharmaceutical and psychiatric industries, ensuring also that training, education, information and awareness of eating disorders are covered under these processes.

Title XIII is for “Mental Health and Safe Communities” Subtitle A includes the expansion and over reach of Law Enforcement and Psychiatry working hand in hand through Involuntary Outpatient Commitment (torture) “Assisted Outpatient Commitment” (as a second section in this same bill, here Section 14002. Title XIII also includes “Federal drug and mental health courts”; “mental health in the judicial system”; “Forensic Assertive Community Treatment Initiatives”; “mental health training for Federal uniformed services”; “school mental health intervention teams”; “Active-shooter training for law enforcement”; “Improving Department of Justice data collection on mental illness involved in crime”; and “Reports on the number of mentally ill offenders in prison”, further attempting to discriminate against people with psychiatric histories. In this section, the limited patients’ rights for the Department of Veterans Affairs are noted, and this of course is and continues to be a concern; for example, we know veterans and their fetuses are being subjected to shock treatment.

Subtitle B focuses on “Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health” in prisons and jails, local and federal law enforcement training, and GAO reporting and needs to be looked at very carefully in the future.

Title XV addresses Medicare Part A and reimbursements. Title XVI, Medicare Part B and treatment/payments/ and Continuing Access to Hospitals Act of 2016; all of which need thorough review.

Title XVII includes other Medicare provisions and XVIII still other provisions around employer health reimbursement.

Division D is “Child and Family Services and Support” and includes Title XIX, “Investing in Prevention and Family Services”, restructuring prevention services, programs, and payments as they relate to foster care, and perhaps one of the few sensible things, Section 19032, “Development of a statewide plan to prevent child abuse and neglect fatalities.”

Title XXI looks also and securing support for foster families and children and Title XXII addresses “reauthorizing adoption and legal guardianship incentive programs.”

Title XXIII is for “Technical Corrections” for data and programming and “Technical corrections to State requirement to address the developmental needs of young children.”

Title XXIV is for “Ensuring states reinvest savings resulting from increase in adoption assistance” and like “Title XXV, Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results” and the extension of the TANF program and other types of social supports, this needs to be read and understood.

***

Mad in America hosts blogs by a diverse group of writers. These posts are designed to serve as a public forum for a discussion—broadly speaking—of psychiatry and its treatments. The opinions expressed are the writers’ own.

168 COMMENTS

  2. Lauren the way the law increases the role of law enforcement agents in MH is really scary. The law keeps stating increased training so the cops can take on a greater overall role…Yet their track record has been to shoot and kill us. We need less, not more cop participation/screwup in our lives.

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  4. Yes, we need to oppose this. But part of the problem is that there is no Anti-Psychiatry Movement, none. Instead we have a Therapy, Recovery, and Healing Movement, and this legitimates psychiatry, and it also silences abuse survivors.

    So we must oppose psychiatry, without in anyway abusing the survivors. This means we must never utter a work of support for Therapy, Recovery, or Healing.

    And we must make it clear that the entire psychiatry, psychotherapy, and FixMyKid industry are just continuations of child abuse, and that this is being done to support eugenics, to maintain work force discipline in our capitalist system.

    Nomadic

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  5. Hi, I’m back, hopefully the break will make my fingers and brain more coordinated. (And I just got the “tsuNAMI” pun in the title, good one.)

    This is some of the most complex (and sleazy) legislative maneuvering I’ve seen, not that these are my usual stomping grounds.

    As I read it (if I’m wrong somebody please correct me asap), HR 34, the original bill about tsunami warnings, has already been passed and is awaiting Obama’s signature. In the interim, the Senate apparently tacked on an amendment related to the original purpose of the bill. THEN someone in the House proposed an amendment to the Senate amendment, which is the 21st Century Cures/Murphy package; THIS is what is being voted on Wednesday. (I assume that if the attempt to append the Murphy/Cures package is defeated then HR 34 will still be signed into law on its own without the medical and “mental health” language.) So technically we’re not trying to defeat HR 34, we’re trying to defeat the amendment the House is trying to attach to it, if that makes sense. Still, saying you oppose the 21ST CENTURY CURES legislation should be understandable enough, so don’t let all this gibberish intimidate you. Like I said before, it took me less than 5 minutes and no one asked me for my name, address and life history.

    Another thing — I believe that this version of “Murphy” may not be a direct lift from HR4626; Jaffee mentioned “language” being taken from HR4626 and the “Cures” bills, but he also mentioned AOT “funding,” and funding was NOT part of the Murphy bill passed last summer — only provisions for AOT if funding is provided later. If this is accurate it means that this bill is even WORSE than the version of Murphy we were originally facing.

    Anyway, glad this discussion has begun and hope Lauren & others will stick around for the duration, to the best of their ability.

    And there’s still time to call your congressional reps Wednesday morning, especially if you do it early.

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  8. Hey you guys, Elizabeth Warren just put out a MoveOn petition saying that Big Pharma has hijacked this bill. Well this is what we have been saying all along, of course. She says the following, copied and pasted:

    “Legalizes fraud: It’s against the law for drug companies to market drugs for uses not approved by the FDA. You can’t sell a headache pill as a cure for cancer. Drug companies have paid billions in penalties for “off-label marketing.” Instead of following the law, they’ve cozied up to Congress to have the Cures bill shoot holes in it.

    “Covers up bribery: Currently, drug companies have to disclose the buckets of money, gifts, giveaways, and free trips they give doctors and hospitals as kickbacks to use certain drugs. Once again, drug companies cozied up to Congress to gut that disclosure rule, allowing any gift related to “medical education” to be exempt.

    “Hands out special deals to GOP donors: A major Republican donor to Mitch McConnell’s Super PAC has big business plans to sell dangerous, unproven stem cell treatments before they have been approved by the FDA as safe and effective. Now that donor is collecting on his investment. The Cures bill creates a special deal so people can sell these treatments without meeting the FDA gold standards for protecting patient safety, undermining the integrity of the FDA and the safety of untold numbers of desperate patients.”

    Well, gee, maybe they are finally catching on, eh? Her petition is with MoveOn. It’s very easy to sign. You just click. I didn’t even realize i had…until I did. Here it is: http://pac.petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-congress-dont-let-2/

    Julie

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    • This is encouraging, as it’s possible that Murphy could get caught in the crossfire of these other issues even if it’s not her major concern.

      MoveOn is a very liberal dem sort of site; since both sides have their hands in this I don’t know what to conclude from that — however we should take advantage of all opposition

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  9. Jesus, will this bill never die? Well, I guess it’s back on social media for me so I can try and convince these legislators (except for Rep. Murphy who’s banned me) NOT to wage psychiatric terrorism on Mad people. Thanks for keeping us posted, Lauren.

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  10. Julie, I really think people need to focus on calling their Representatives about this horrible legislation. I fear if they get side tracked signing a petition, they will think their job is done when it isn’t.

    However, I do think there are great talking points from this petition that can be used when calling your Representative, particularly, the patient safety issue.

    Anyway, please call your Representative to oppose this bill as soon as you can.

    Thanks!

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    • Well, it’s not an either/or. Calling is BY FAR the most important, and NO ONE should think they’ve “done their duty” by simply clicking a link to a petition, as the effect of online petitions is minimal.. Calling your rep to oppose 21st Century Cures being attached to HR 34 is the only thing that will have a true impact; in fact part of the value of the petition should be to motivate people to call their representatives.

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  11. Yes but many people never make those calls. A petition is very easy, click of the mouse, and those folks that do not ever call, and won’t, will be adding their voices to our calls. Plus MoveOn;s email list and Facebook sharing reaches many people and Elizabeth Warren (she’s a senator) is a very prominent person taking this up. I figure it’s about time!

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    • Julie,

      I haven’t seen great evidence that petitions are effective.

      Anyway, people need to call their representatives regarding this horrific legislation before they do anything else. If after they call and want to sign a petition, by all means so do. But calling your Reps should be the number one priority.

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        • Very true. I was amazed, though. I spoke with one a few days ago at length, this one in Massachusetts, and near the end of the conversation he noted the way I worded something, then suddenly asked, “Did you speak with another legislator a while back?” I told him it was ages ago. I am so, so surprised that apparently my story was passed around between them. Yes, those were my words, words he had heard from the other legislator! To be honest, I am rather tickled. OUR STORIES MATTER. We just have to keep telling them. Keep telling them again and again until they listen. What “they” do to us, there is simply no excuse to treat a person as if he/she is a monster. None.

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    • Yes but many people never make those calls. A petition is very easy,

      And if used with that reasoning a petition is an easy cop-out and a feel-good way for people to rationalize that they’ve done something, but if that’s all they do they’ve basically done nothing. AA is totally correct about this. What’s the big deal about making a phone call?

      Again it’s good that others like Stein are taking this up, we need all the help we can get. But Congresspeople don’t ask “How’s the MoveOn petition coming along?” They ask what their constituents are saying. And the congressional reps are the only ones who have the power to vote on this.

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  12. I can’t begin to express my astonishment at how corrupt politics in the USA have become. This evil legislation represents merely the opening salvo of the new administration’s attack on the Affordable Care Act. What, of course, is their alternative to the Affordable Care Act? Obviously, it’s got to be an Unaffordable Care Act.

    These right wing millionaire congress jerks staple the Murphy bill, somebody’s lauded mental health “reform” package, a really repressive police state piece of legislation, to this bill to smooth the way for big pharma to rake in max profits at the expense of peoples’ health. You know rolling back civil rights is on the drawing board and their agenda. I think we’ve only got a foretaste here of the mischief ahead.

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  14. BREAKING: “Cures” approved in voice vote, final approval postponed:

    From the Office of the Clerk, House of Representatives http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.aspx

    “POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 34, the Chair put the question on agreeing to the Senate amendment with an amendment and by voice vote, announced that the yeas had prevailed. Mr. McDermott demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.” i

    Maybe this is good — no idea how long this will delay things if at all (Congress hasn’t yet adjourned for the day); however we should look into “Mr. McDermott” and see if he can be considered an ally.

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    • It’s hard to know whether they’ll get back to this Thursday. All it says on the legislative calendar is “Consideration of legislation related to 21st Century Cures” listed at the end of the day, so it’s unclear whether they’re just doing that roll-call vote to formalize its passage or whether people are trying to add/subtract things. It’s in our interest to delay it. So if you haven’t called already it’s still worth doing, until you hear one way or the other about the vote being completed.

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  15. It is essential that we oppose Murphy and anything else like it, without even one word of legitimacy for Psychotherapy, Recovery, or Healing. And we must never ask for pity.

    The reason we have these things is to make societal scapegoats. We used to get these scapegoats from the immigrants and minorities who did low wage labor. But today there is just less need for labor. So now we get out scapegoats directly from the middle-class family.

    So we must make people understand that mental illness, ADHD, Autism, and Eating Disorders are just middle-class child abuse. And we must never endorse psychotherapy, recovery, or healing, only legal and political action to obtain justice.

    And we must make it clear that we will fight back, using ANY MEANS NECESSARY. Underlying all of this is a eugenics argument. Since people will allow forced treatment and be shunted into psychotherapy and recovery, then these people must be defective. So we must disabuse our society of this view, by fighting back. We must protect ourselves, those at risk for psychiatry, psychotherapy, and recovery, and we must demonstrate that we will do WHATEVER IT TAKES TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN OF TODAY, ESPECIALLY FROM THEIR OWN PARENTS!

    And we must make it clear that this is not a no fault campaign either, we want the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy practitioners behind bars. They are accomplice child abusers and the violate mandatory reporting. Both felonies.

    There is today zero anti-psychiatry movement. Those who would lead it refuse to look a the full picture. Most treatment is after all voluntary, and most of those most severely impacted are children, who are being severely harmed long before they are anywhere near any kind of a doctor.

    So those who claim to be anti-psychiatry are merely looking at this from a Libertarian Anti-Government perspective. And that is totally useless.

    Organize, Move From Talk To Action, Please Join:
    http://freedomtoexpress.freeforums.org/fighting-to-eradicate-the-mental-health-system-and-incarcerate-the-practitioners-f2.html

    Nomadic

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  16. THERE IS STILL TIME TO CALL YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

    Nothing has changed: We want them to OPPOSE the 21st Century Cures Act being amended to HR 34. (You could add “unless the mental health language from HR 4626 is removed.”)

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  17. I am inferring the House vote is a done deal. According to this Daily Kos Blog entry which is referring to the general provisions of the Cures Act:

    http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/11/30/1605782/-Elizabeth-Warren-Asks-Democrats-Which-Side-Are-You-On-The-Answer-May-Disappoint-You

    The Cures Act passed easily, 392 to 26—with most of the opposition coming from the right-wing of the Republican Party.

    But six progressives voted against it, and deserve to be commended for doing so:

    Rosa DeLauro (CT-03)

    Lloyd Doggett (TX-35)

    Raul Grijalva (AZ-03)

    Barbara Lee (CA-13)

    Jim McDermott (WA-07)

    Jan Schakowsky (IL-09)

    I am really dumbfounded as even without the mental health legislation in there, this is a horrible bill as the patient protections will go right down the drain.

    Anyway, call your Senators tomorrow to vote against this bill.

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  18. You are correct about the vote, it wasn’t something we were about to change but our tactical concern was to delay it as much as possible. Of course no one even knew about this for the most part till yesterday, so we did about all we could. However thanks to Lauren Tenney, Phil Hickey and a growing number of others we are in a better situation now in terms of awareness, and hopefully pissed-off-ness, to exert some kind of effect this time around. Plus there is more opposition in the Senate, though none because of our concerns.

    More links, etc. can be found at the organizing forum. Surviving & Thriving posted this, which discusses the Senate debate: http://www.raps.org/Regulatory-Focus/News/2016/11/30/26280/House-to-Pass-Revamped-21st-Century-Cures-Bill/

    PS That Daily Kos article is pretty good too (e.g. “Harvard’s Daniel Carpenter calls it the ’19th Century Fraud Act’”).

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  19. It seems those of us who are willing and able have a week to put pressure on the Senate vote
    What we need is an anti NAMI NAMI group that would start up from a grasswork level and rise up using the best Alinsky tactics
    This would mean all groups in the game and I mean all would have to colace around each other even if it means holding one’s nose!
    This is not the time to engage in sibling rivalry
    So let’s make and create an activist umbrella organization
    We won’t win but by doing the act of creation a paper trail and stone path and road map would be created
    If Standing Rock can do it so can we
    Email me at [email protected]

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  20. This week is not the time for trying to start an organization; if the goal is to stop this legislation, what we need to do is keep expanding the networking that’s already being done, as our sole immediate goal is to inform people and get them to call their Senators to oppose Murphy/Cures.

    While the notion of an “umbrella activist group” sounds nice, but that’s what Mindfreedom supposedly is/was. You can’t force people to work together when their basic goals are different, even opposite; however even people who disagree sometimes have a common interest in uniting over specific issues, which is what networks and coalitions are for. What we DO need is an unabashed anti-psychiatry organization or network, with a secure website administered by trusted people, to provide leadership and coordination for the movement, and I believe the groundwork is slowly being laid for such.

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  21. Thanks to all out there responding and getting in touch with your legislators. As a way of update, as I understand it, HR34 is officially at the Senate and is designated as ”resolving differences” which also can be seen as the phase where amendments to the amendment are being added and then will be voted on sent to the House, and the volley continues and at some point it’s going to get to the President. tsuNAMI was probably the most accurate thing this can be called . . . CALL YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS IN THE CONGRESS AND SENATE TODAY. VOTE NO on HR 34.

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    • Not trying to be difficult as Lauren’s article has done wonders for spreading awareness. But again, HR 34 has already been passed and cannot be voted against; that’s why they’re attaching stuff to it, to ride its coattails. It’s the 21st Century Cures (Murphy) bill they’re trying to append to the bill that we need to oppose. Just tell your Senators that you oppose the “21st Century Cures” bill being attached to HR 34.

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  24. EVERYBODY: This bill will change your life. It particularly targets: babies, children, teens, young adults, college students, pregnant and lactating women, seniors, veterans, and EVERYONE WHO USES PHYSICAL HEALTH SERVICES. Please, before Monday morning – leave as many messages on your Senators AND Representatives Voicemail opposing the scam of amending the HR 34 the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2015 as the 21st Century #CuresAct amendment which includes awful versions of the Murphy Bills and multiple other bills that Senators are still attempting to amend before a vote. They are pushing this through and if you can believe, Senators are even still adding amendments. Senate will take up the proposed amendments on Monday, December 5, 2016, or earlier – so keep an eye out for another sneak attack. Even if they pull this state-sanctioned scan of what an aid from a Representative’s Office explained to me as “a simple parliamentary procedure” it will have to go back tot he House of Representatives and if it passes there, on to the President. PLEASE ACT NOW AND STOP HR 34. #tsunNAMIWarning For more information: https://www.madinamerica.com/2016/11/warning-psychiatric-tsunami-upon-u-s/

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  25. Bravo Lauren for staying focused on this in the midst of some serious distractions. I didn’t hear about further amendments. Will do the research if necessary, do you know what they entail and if a definite vote has been scheduled?

    We still have one basic demand, everyone: OPPOSE THE 21st CENTURY CURES AMENDMENT TO HR 34.

    Also remember it’s the Senate this time around.

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  26. On Sunday, December 4, 2016 at 9PM Eastern, call in to (267)521-0167 to be part of the program. This is an urgent call for you to speak out to your legislators.

    TO LISTEN IN LIVE: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/talkwithtenney/2016/12/05/emergency-senate-vote-on-amendment-to-hr-34-is-near-ideas-for-legislators

    On this show, Yvonne Smith, Lauren Tenney, and others will discuss things that you can talk about with your Senators AND Representatives concerning the scam of amending the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2015 H.R. 34 as the 21st Century #CuresAct amendment, which includes awful versions of the Murphy Bills and multiple other bills that Senators are still attempting to amend before a vote. They are pushing this through and if you can believe, Senators are even still adding amendments.

    Senate will take up the proposed amendments on Monday, December 5, 2016, or earlier.

    PLEASE ACT NOW AND HELP STOP THE AMENDMENT TO HR 34. #tsunNAMIWarning

    For More information: https://www.madinamerica.com/2016/11/warning-psychiatric-tsunami-upon-u-s/

    To reach your SENATORS: http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

    To reach your REPRESENTATIVES: http://www.house.gov/representatives/

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  27. I’d say if you have time on your hands contact some extra senators, as representatives have no say on a senate bill.

    Anyway THIS IS GREAT! Lauren hopefully is posting this around, we should join her. This is relevant to many, maybe most, of the other topics currently being discussed in MIA blogs, as well as on other sites (CAT)?

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  28. Call BOTH your Senators BEFORE NOON TODAY (Monday). Tell them to OPPOSE THE 2!ST CENTURY CURES ACT BEING APPENDED TO H.R. 34. FURTHER, tell them you want MURPHY’S SO-CALLED “MENTAL HEALTH” PROVISIONS FROM HR 4626 REMOVED from the “Cures” package.

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  29. #psychiatrictsuNAMI They merged together #Cures and #MurphyBills which for years could not pass on their own. They deleted the text of the Tsunami Warning bill that passed, replaced the text with 996 pages that were not passable, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and here it is, not even a week later, passing House, about to pass Senate, if they even take a vote, (remember Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18) leaked a media advisory) . . . and HR 34, we can expect, very soon will be heading to the President for signature, if proponents get there way. This is what it is like now. What’s it going to be like if the Electoral College actually votes for Donald J. Trump?

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  30. VOTE on HR 34 EXPECTED AT 5:30 PM DECEMBER 5, 2016 Call U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (202) 224-5141. fax (202) 228-0776. Tell his office to delay the vote, to not append H.R. 34 and to remove any psychiatric legislation from Cures.
    Call for a filibuster. . .

    THE SENATE IS TO CONVENE AT 3:00 PM. TO AGAINTAKE UP HR 34. SENATORS MURPHY, CASSIDY, ALEXANDER, AND CORNYN AND REPESENTATIVES MURPHY, JOHNSON, AND UPTON MAY MAKE A SNEAK ATTACK AT 2:30 PM TO TRY TO SWAY THE VOTE AND MOVE HR 34 TO THE PRESIDENT.

    No matter what time or day it is, call your elected officials.
    Let them know what your position is. Tell them to oppose any coercive psychiatric legislation.
    Tell them to reject any legislation that is pushed forward using parliamentary procedure.
    Demand the legislature be honest with the people. #psychiatrictsuNAMI

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    • I’m totally in sync. The Sanders/filibuster idea is good too, I’ll be pushing it as well.

      The most important thing is to IMMEDIATELY call BOTH your senators. (Representatives were last week, focus on senators.)

      Thanks for this new info Lauren.

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    • The Sanders # is “invalid” (it’s the same one listed in the official Senate info page) — I’ll call Warren & see what happens.

      Got through to a person in Cassidy’s office but got recordings from both my locals, one said something about high call volume. So keep calling, the controversy itself can make them nervous enough to stall.

      I’ll encourage Warren to filibuster.

      For the masochists here there’s probably a way to find the press conference livestreaming.

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  34. Looks like there was NO VOTE, just an “agreement to invoke cloture,” meaning that a limit of 30 hours has been set on future debate from what I understand. “Consideration” of Cures is scheduled for 10 a.m.

    SO IT STILL MAKES SENSE TO CALL TUESDAY MORNING IF YOU HAVEN’T GOTTEN THROUGH YET. What to say is pretty much the same.

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  35. Thanks oldhead — 10 am — there’s still time to contact your SENATORS and REPRESENTATIVES before this gets sent to the PRESIDENT. #psychiatrictsuNAMI

    It’s still not clear to me which part is the most manipulative and which is the most corrupt.

    HELP CREATE A RECORD OF OPPOSITION FOR THE AMENDMENT TO HR34.

    Find your SENATORS HERE: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

    Find your REPRESENTATIVES HERE: http://www.house.gov/representatives/

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  37. #PsychiatricTsuNAMI definition of ‘eligible patient’ under court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment
    “(4) the term ‘eligible patient’ means an adult, mentally ill person who, as determined by a court—
    “(A) has a history of violence, incarceration, or medically unnecessary hospitalizations;
    “(B) without supervision and treatment, may be a danger to self or others in the community;
    “(C) is substantially unlikely to voluntarily participate in treatment;
    “(D) may be unable, for reasons other than indigence, to provide for any of his or her basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, health, or safety;
    “(E) has a history of mental illness or a condition that is likely to substantially deteriorate if the person is not provided with timely treatment; OR
    “(F) due to mental illness, lacks capacity to fully understand or lacks judgment to make informed decisions regarding his or her need for treatment, care, or supervision.”.
    Notice: that’s an “or” between (E) and (F), not an “and”.
    Call your legislators now. 10AM December 6 the Senate resumes consideration of H.R. 34. Help us create a record of opposition.

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  40. There’s a Quorum Call been going on for some time. Delay. Tell your Senators to Testify Against HR34 . Filibuster. End the alliance between psychiatry and the law and remove all psychiatric provisions from #Cures #psychiatricTsuNAMI — Also look at this update on #DeborahDanner http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/05/nyregion/district-attorney-asks-for-grand-jury-in-police-killing-of-deborah-danner.html

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  47. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157738584515462&l=80e56438b0

    2:15PM
    12/06/2016
    the Senate
    again considers
    H.R. 34 #PsychiatrictsuNAMI
    there’s still time to contact your SENATORS
    and maybe REPRESENTATIVES
    before this gets sent to the PRESIDENT.
    VETO IF HR34 PASSES.

    Find your SENATORS HERE: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

    Find your REPRESENTATIVES HERE: http://www.house.gov/representatives

    HELP CREATE A RECORD OF OPPOSITION
    FOR THE AMENDMENT TO HR34.
    #psychiatrictsuNAMI https://www.madinamerica.com/2016/11/warning-psychiatric-tsunami-upon-u-s/

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  48. Great artical! Thanks for posting, and keeping us up to date! Am stressed, but trying to contact people. Have gotten through this my representative, but doesn’t seem to help. It will take time, and there’s never any certainty of anything. Got through to one of the senators in my state. Trying not to let the idea it won’t make a difference effect my calls too much.

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  50. PLEASE REMEMBER that this is a SENATE vote; representatives have no say here no matter what side they’re on.

    Thanks Lauren for keeping up with the play-by-play today. After 10 days on the computer staying up till 4 a.m. I needed to take a shower, do some housecleaning and think about things like food, rent, etc. for awhile. (Add “patch the roof” to that.)

    So they’re dragging it out I see. I will recall (wish I could actually, I mean re-call) my Senators and Sanders and maybe Warren too.

    Am staying tuned Lauren, as per your post.

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  57. Motion to Concur in the House Message to accompany H.R. 34, the 21st Century CURES Act, is the pending question. Voted Aye: 94 NAY: 5 ( #VETOHR34
    BE HONEST ABOUT THE 21ST CENTURY #CURES ACT.
    TELL THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE TSUNAMI WARNING SCAM.
    PRESIDENT OBAMA:::
    VETO H.R.34
    (P)HARMA INCENTIVES BILL.
    WEAKENING ALL TYPES OF PROTECTIONS.
    MASSIVE PSYCHIATRIC RESTRUCTURING.
    EVERYONE IS AT RISK.
    STOP FUNDING FRAUD.
    DO NOT BE MANIPULATED BY WHAT THIS IS CALLED
    AND WHO IT IS NAMED FOR. THIS IS A FRAUD.
    #PsychiatricTsuNAMI #PresidentObama #VETOHR34
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157744584325462&l=a9431a4c6d

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  59. Heard on my car radio while driving in Eugene ,Oregon around 7 PM on the 6th of December by someone working for psychiatry and in power at Sacred Heart Hospital ,on “behavioral health” announcing that 1/3 of the people in Lane County have the S word and the other Ma,,,Dep,,,,,, word and serious MI words and that the solution for this is ” AGGRESSIVE CASE MANAGEMENT” then that 42 woman were held in jail cause there was no room in the hospital and that the conditions were terrible but the Sheriff said that the conditions were not so bad . I did make calls and filibustered Sen. Wyden’s aid for some time and was told they would send me a letter.I said I’d be willing to explain some more if they allowed me to .White House house phone # 202 456 1111 has been busy . Dec. 7 2016 .

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    • thanks Fred. Yes – Aggressive is right – they do not even try to hide it and to the average person who knows nothing of psychiatry (which with CURES will be a dwindling population as everyone is at risk for screening and interaction) — the average person thinks it is entirely legitimate that we are treated this way. And thanks for the work you are doing — I just tried the White House at the number you gave (thanks!) (202) 456-1111 and got through . . . except they only keep 9-5 business hours…. I cannot say I’m surprised…… Will continue to try.

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    • Here is the section on ACT:
      SEC. 9015. ASSERTIVE COMMUNITY TREATMENT GRANT PROGRAM.
      Part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb et seq.), as amended by section 9009, is further amended by adding at the end the following:

      “SEC. 520M. ASSERTIVE COMMUNITY TREATMENT GRANT PROGRAM.

      “(a) In General.—The Assistant Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities—

      “(1) to establish assertive community treatment programs for adults with a serious mental illness; or

      “(2) to maintain or expand such programs.

      “(b) Eligible Entities.—To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall be a State, political subdivision of a State, Indian tribe or tribal organization (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act), mental health system, health care facility, or any other entity the Assistant Secretary deems appropriate.

      “(c) Special Consideration.—In selecting among applicants for a grant under this section, the Assistant Secretary may give special consideration to the potential of the applicant’s program to reduce hospitalization, homelessness, and involvement with the criminal justice system while improving the health and social outcomes of the patient.

      “(d) Additional Activities.—The Assistant Secretary shall—

      “(1) not later than the end of fiscal year 2021, submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees on the grant program under this section, including an evaluation of—

      “(A) any cost savings and public health outcomes such as mortality, suicide, substance use disorders, hospitalization, and use of services;

      “(B) rates of involvement with the criminal justice system of patients;

      “(C) rates of homelessness among patients; and

      “(D) patient and family satisfaction with program participation; and

      “(2) provide appropriate information, training, and technical assistance to grant recipients under this section to help such recipients to establish, maintain, or expand their assertive community treatment programs.

      “(e) Authorization Of Appropriations.—

      “(1) IN GENERAL.—To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2018 through 2022.

      “(2) USE OF CERTAIN FUNDS.—Of the funds appropriated to carry out this section in any fiscal year, not more than 5 percent shall be available to the Assistant Secretary for carrying out subsection (d).”.

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    • and here is the section on ACT for Forensics:

      SEC. 14005. FORENSIC ASSERTIVE COMMUNITY TREATMENT INITIATIVES.
      Section 2991 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797aa) is amended by—

      (1) redesignating subsection (j) as subsection (o); and

      (2) inserting after subsection (i) the following:

      “(j) Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) Initiative Program.—

      “(1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may make grants to States, units of local government, territories, Indian Tribes, nonprofit agencies, or any combination thereof, to develop, implement, or expand Assertive Community Treatment initiatives to develop forensic assertive community treatment (referred to in this subsection as ‘FACT’) programs that provide high intensity services in the community for individuals with mental illness with involvement in the criminal justice system to prevent future incarcerations.

      “(2) ALLOWABLE USES.—Grant funds awarded under this subsection may be used for—

      “(A) multidisciplinary team initiatives for individuals with mental illnesses with criminal justice involvement that address criminal justice involvement as part of treatment protocols;

      “(B) FACT programs that involve mental health professionals, criminal justice agencies, chemical dependency specialists, nurses, psychiatrists, vocational specialists, forensic peer specialists, forensic specialists, and dedicated administrative support staff who work together to provide recovery oriented, 24/7 wraparound services;

      “(C) services such as integrated evidence-based practices for the treatment of co-occurring mental health and substance-related disorders, assertive outreach and engagement, community-based service provision at participants’ residence or in the community, psychiatric rehabilitation, recovery oriented services, services to address criminogenic risk factors, and community tenure;

      “(D) payments for treatment providers that are approved by the State or Indian Tribe and licensed, if necessary, to provide needed treatment to eligible offenders participating in the program, including behavioral health services and aftercare supervision; and

      “(E) training for all FACT teams to promote high-fidelity practice principles and technical assistance to support effective and continuing integration with criminal justice agency partners.

      “(3) SUPPLEMENT AND NOT SUPPLANT.—Grants made under this subsection shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, non-Federal funds that would otherwise be available for programs described in this subsection.

      “(4) APPLICATIONS.—To request a grant under this subsection, a State, unit of local government, territory, Indian Tribe, or nonprofit agency shall submit an application to the Attorney General in such form and containing such information as the Attorney General may reasonably require.”.

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  60. It is not the end, oldhead, and yes thank you to you and all others working to stop H.R. 34 – there’s a slim to none chance for VETO – creating the record of opposition is important for the historical record. Congressman Murphy did well at shielding the public from opposition to his efforts. The way these bills — Cures and #MurphyBills were pushed through, along with the other amendments needs to be a continued focus. #psychiatrictsuNAMI stay tuned. Friends welcome https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157744584325462&l=a9431a4c6d

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    • Looking ahead, I know one vulnerability they have is getting the funding for what they approve in principle. For example, the funding for CURES I believe is dependent on a stopgap funding bill introduced in the house yesterday. Not saying there’s a way to stop that bill but going after the funding is one strategy which would should explore. Also if Obamacare is repealed there will be definite funding issues for Murphy, and we could/should campaign to direct all health care funds into REAL health care instead of “mental health” care, which many conservatives are suspicious of anyway. We can capitalize on these vulnerabilities if it’s a unified effort. Achieving the latter is the biggest hurdle, and it won’t happen as a result of wishful thinking (or by what has been referred to as the “politics of denunciation”).

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    • It would be helpful if you could explain why patient privacy has been eroded with this bill. What I see, in an admittedly cursory review, is that there was a slight nod to the need for privacy, but not enough, and none to the need for attention to patients’ human rights. If there is a tsunami coming, it is in that arena.

      I am a fellow victim of the mental health “care” system. see http://www.sanerights.org.

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        • Even though they suggest that they are just educating people about HIPAA (and who do you think is getting the money for this) their plans for education are problematic because they now argue that family/friends could always have given psychiatric workers and medical professionals information about a “loved one”.

          TITLE XI—COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION ON HIPAA

          SEC. 11001. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
          (a) Findings.—Congress finds the following:

          (1) According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2015, there were approximately 9,800,000 adults in the United States with serious mental illness.

          (2) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines the term “serious mental illness” as an illness affecting individuals 18 years of age or older as having, at any time in the past year, a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that results in serious functional impairment and substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.

          (3) In reporting on the incidence of serious mental illness, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration includes major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other mental disorders that cause serious impairment.

          (4) Adults with a serious mental illness are at a higher risk for chronic physical illnesses and premature death.

          (5) According to the World Health Organization, adults with a serious mental illness have lifespans that are 10 to 25 years shorter than those without serious mental illness. The vast majority of these deaths are due to chronic physical medical conditions, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, and infectious diseases, as well as diabetes and hypertension.

          (6) According to the World Health Organization, the majority of deaths of adults with a serious mental illness that are due to physical medical conditions are preventable.

          (7) Supported decision making can facilitate care decisions in areas where serious mental illness may impact the capacity of an individual to determine a course of treatment while still allowing the individual to make decisions independently.

          (8) Help should be provided to adults with a serious mental illness to address their acute or chronic physical illnesses, make informed choices about treatment, and understand and follow through with appropriate treatment.

          (9) There is confusion in the health care community regarding permissible practices under the regulations promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (commonly known as “HIPAA”). This confusion may hinder appropriate communication of health care information or treatment preferences with appropriate caregivers.

          (b) Sense Of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that clarification is needed regarding the privacy rule promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d–2 note) regarding existing permitted uses and disclosures of health information by health care professionals to communicate with caregivers of adults with a serious mental illness to facilitate treatment.

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          • SEC. 11002. CONFIDENTIALITY OF RECORDS.
            Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this title referred to as the “Secretary”) first finalizes regulations updating part 2 of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, relating to confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records, after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall convene relevant stakeholders to determine the effect of such regulations on patient care, health outcomes, and patient privacy.

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          • Lauren, my recommendation NOW is to be prepared. Give fake phone numbers and fake names of relatives to your providers if ever you need to see one. Do so with a smile (and a giggle). In case of psych emergency, meaning you end up in some ER against your will (the ONLY valid psych emergency, since ending up incarcerated puts human beings at serious risk) then, if they have the nerve to call your parents, siblings, landlord, employer,college, other providers, etc, when they dial the number, they’ll hear, “Bob’s Pizza, what can I get for you today?”

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      • SEC. 11003. CLARIFICATION ON PERMITTED USES AND DISCLOSURES OF PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION.
        (a) In General.—The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, shall ensure that health care providers, professionals, patients and their families, and others involved in mental or substance use disorder treatment have adequate, accessible, and easily comprehensible resources relating to appropriate uses and disclosures of protected health information under the regulations promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d–2 note).

        (b) Guidance.—

        (1) ISSUANCE.—In carrying out subsection (a), not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall issue guidance clarifying the circumstances under which, consistent with regulations promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, a health care provider or covered entity may use or disclose protected health information.

        (2) CIRCUMSTANCES ADDRESSED.—The guidance issued under this section shall address circumstances including those that—

        (A) require the consent of the patient;

        (B) require providing the patient with an opportunity to object;

        (C) are based on the exercise of professional judgment regarding whether the patient would object when the opportunity to object cannot practicably be provided because of the incapacity of the patient or an emergency treatment circumstance; and

        (D) are determined, based on the exercise of professional judgment, to be in the best interest of the patient when the patient is not present or otherwise incapacitated.

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      • And this is probably the most concerning part (although, of course it is all concerning):

        (3) COMMUNICATION WITH FAMILY MEMBERS AND CAREGIVERS.—In addressing the circumstances described in paragraph (2), the guidance issued under this section shall clarify permitted uses or disclosures of protected health information for purposes of—

        (A) communicating with a family member of the patient, caregiver of the patient, or other individual, to the extent that such family member, caregiver, or individual is involved in the care of the patient;

        (B) in the case that the patient is an adult, communicating with a family member of the patient, caregiver of the patient, or other individual involved in the care of the patient;

        (C) in the case that the patient is a minor, communicating with the parent or caregiver of the patient;

        (D) involving the family members or caregivers of the patient, or others involved in the patient’s care or care plan, including facilitating treatment and medication adherence;

        (E) listening to the patient, or receiving information with respect to the patient from the family or caregiver of the patient;

        (F) communicating with family members of the patient, caregivers of the patient, law enforcement, or others when the patient presents a serious and imminent threat of harm to self or others; and

        (G) communicating to law enforcement and family members or caregivers of the patient about the admission of the patient to receive care at, or the release of a patient from, a facility for an emergency psychiatric hold or involuntary treatment.

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      • And here – -if Bazelon or other organizations that supported Matsui as the best of what can be lived with — get funding for these efforts, then it will become even more clear as to why it happened:

        SEC. 11004. DEVELOPMENT AND DISSEMINATION OF MODEL TRAINING PROGRAMS.
        (a) Initial Programs And Materials.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with appropriate experts, shall identify the following model programs and materials, or (in the case that no such programs or materials exist) recognize private or public entities to develop and disseminate each of the following:

        (1) Model programs and materials for training health care providers (including physicians, emergency medical personnel, psychiatrists, including child and adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, therapists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, behavioral health facilities and clinics, care managers, and hospitals, including individuals such as general counsels or regulatory compliance staff who are responsible for establishing provider privacy policies) regarding the permitted uses and disclosures, consistent with the standards governing the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information promulgated by the Secretary under part C of title XI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320d et seq.) and regulations promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d–2 note) and such part C, of the protected health information of patients seeking or undergoing mental or substance use disorder treatment.

        (2) A model program and materials for training patients and their families regarding their rights to protect and obtain information under the standards and regulations specified in paragraph (1).

        (b) Periodic Updates.—The Secretary shall—

        (1) periodically review and update the model programs and materials identified or developed under subsection (a); and

        (2) disseminate the updated model programs and materials to the individuals described in subsection (a).

        (c) Coordination.—The Secretary shall carry out this section in coordination with the Director of the Office for Civil Rights within the Department of Health and Human Services, the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the heads of other relevant agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services.

        (d) Input Of Certain Entities.—In identifying, reviewing, or updating the model programs and materials under subsections (a) and (b), the Secretary shall solicit the input of relevant national, State, and local associations; medical societies; licensing boards; providers of mental and substance use disorder treatment; organizations with expertise on domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, and child abuse; and organizations representing patients and consumers and the families of patients and consumers.

        (e) Funding.—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section—

        (1) $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2018;

        (2) $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 and 2020; and

        (3) $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 and 2022.

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  64. TODDLERS UNDER THE GUN

    From a speech by Cassidy (thanks to Better Life):

    Another thing this bill does is establish a grant program focused on intensive early intervention for children who demonstrate first signs that may evolve into serious mental illness later in life. Dr. Howard Osofsky and his wife Dr. Joy Osofsky did research after Hurricane Katrina and found that you can detect from ages 0-3 evidence of a child who may have a problem with mental illness later in life. This bill provides grants for early intervention for the infants and children that will address the effects of trauma and the adverse experiences that children under the age of five have.

    http://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-cassidy-speaks-on-mental-health-reforms-in-21st-century-cures-act-of-2016

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    • Yeah, there is a lot of “preventive” talk that actually winds up being “causative” here. Catching psychosis early, or pre-psychosis, is one of them. One way people become “mentally ill” “later in life” is by being labeled “mentally ill” earlier in life. Treating childhood has become a problem in itself. Does this legislation means scrapping the bogus ADHD diagnosis? I don’t think so. Now they’ve got more and more avenues of arriving at a labeled adult through a labeled child.

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  65. Where I live, local government is now building internment camps for the homeless. They are treating homelessness as a mental illness. And of course these have on site “services”, especially Mental Health.

    So they use this, to sanitize the streets, but also to breakdown what remaining dignity homeless people have, their privacy.

    Nomadic

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  66. Time to SPEAK OUT AGAINST PSYCH in all forms. Last night at my Toastmasters meeting I gave a last-minute speech titled, “How to become a mental patient.” It seems as though I got the effect I wanted as I was told the speech was “humorous and poignant.”
    Pros to being mental patient:
    You don’t have to work anymore
    You get paid!!!
    You are relieved of adult responsibilities. No more changing the kitty litter!
    You are relieved of human rights. Oh, never mind…..

    How is mental illness tested for? A brain test? Nope. A blood test? Nope. How you feel? Nope, because all humans have their good and bad days…..

    But if you totally determined, here’s how…..
    Easy three-step method:
    1) See a MH professional and get a diagnosis.
    Here, I added that diagnosis is a three-statement process:
    a) “You are.”
    b) “You can’t.”
    c) “You will.”
    Step 2) Use clinical language to describe everyday experiences. (grief, sadness, joy, etc)
    The most important step 3) Let everyone know you’re crazy.

    If they see you as a nut, you are a nut, you become one. Easy!!!!

    To punctuate the ending of my speech, I cracked an egg into a dish (broken brain). That’s when you die a nutcase and no one cares.

    I didn’t tape record this one. I enjoyed every minute of it, of course.

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    • Thanks for letting us know, Lauren. At this point we really need to develop, and possibly “share” or publicize strategies. Even pass pamphlets around to people warning them. Sharing our stories is so vital right now.

      I was refused a job as blogger recently for an eating disorders facility because they were afraid that if people read my stuff they’d decide against “treatment.” So I was not hired. I thought, “Well, I agree, that’s my ultimate goal. To share what happened to me and maybe then, folks will think twice.”

      How to say no. How to outright lie and when to do so. How to tailor your responses to avoid MH. How to end therapy if it’s getting abusive or threatening, alternatives, how to find nice people to talk to so you don’t feel tempted to hire a fake one in an office, and so on. And how it’s so, so much better without MH in your life!!!!!! Now more than ever. How can we reach the general public?

      If anyone wants it and is writing a book, if it’s a survivor story I will look over the whole thing entirely for free, write margin commentary and suggestions, and so on. I can also offer tips or talk to anyone out there about discipline, getting the words down on paper, where to start, how to shape the story, etc. That’s what my degree is in.

      Julie

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      • How to say no. How to outright lie and when to do so. How to tailor your responses to avoid MH. How to end therapy if it’s getting abusive or threatening, alternatives, how to find nice people to talk to so you don’t feel tempted to hire a fake one in an office, and so on. And how it’s so, so much better without MH in your life!!!!!! Now more than ever. How can we reach the general public?

        A few people at a time is good if people want what you’re offering…I think it’s a good idea, I’ve seen manuals for people going to prison, etc.

        If you’re looking for a research project some of us have agreed that we should publicly expose, analyze, and deconstruct Torreys’s propaganda, the “studies” he uses to push his agenda, the logical fallacies and contradictions in his public statements, etc. This would also be good info to have about Jaffee and Murphy for people to refer to when calling into talk shows, debating, lobbying, etc.

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    • so does this mean they can force you to take meds against your will no matter what? or do u have to do something crazy like commit a crime to have it happen? or idk… like walk around in some insane daze or idk… like can you be going to school, working, and idk exercising (acting normal) & bam… they are like screw you take this anyway even though everyone can see your fine? please… a honest answer would be wonderful.

      i mean… i don’t understand. how does that make any sense? meds make me feel like crap (psych meds, all other medical stuff works fine and i always feel better like my bp meds are great)… actually crap is an understatement but you get me. regardless, if you are doing fine… why would you need to feel like crap and get brain damaged among a zillion other things? like i feel so bad on those things i would rather die personally. i have also NEVER felt better on them, only worse. i have tried so many of them and they just cause horrible things to happen to me… physically, mentally, and spiritually i feel like they are torture. i am doing pretty good in life… i feel like this would DESTROY me. can they do that? i mean if i am doing good in life? why would they do that… eh i won’t even get into that. a power trip i guess but yeah please i would love an honest answer so i am informed.

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      • Here is what the legislations states (and it is important to note this is different than mental health courts and Assertive Community Treatment — both of which are also in HR34 and present similar problems of violating human rights):

        “(3) the term ‘court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment’ means a program through which a court may order a treatment plan for an eligible patient that—

        “(A) requires such patient to obtain outpatient mental health treatment while the patient is not currently residing in a correctional facility or inpatient treatment facility; and

        “(B) is designed to improve access and adherence by such patient to intensive behavioral health services in order to—

        “(i) avert relapse, repeated hospitalizations, arrest, incarceration, suicide, property destruction, and violent behavior; and

        “(ii) provide such patient with the opportunity to live in a less restrictive alternative to incarceration or involuntary hospitalization; and

        “(4) the term ‘eligible patient’ means an adult, mentally ill person who, as determined by a court—

        “(A) has a history of violence, incarceration, or medically unnecessary hospitalizations;

        “(B) without supervision and treatment, may be a danger to self or others in the community;

        “(C) is substantially unlikely to voluntarily participate in treatment;

        “(D) may be unable, for reasons other than indigence, to provide for any of his or her basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, health, or safety;

        “(E) has a history of mental illness or a condition that is likely to substantially deteriorate if the person is not provided with timely treatment; or

        “(F) due to mental illness, lacks capacity to fully understand or lacks judgment to make informed decisions regarding his or her need for treatment, care, or supervision.

        Here is the actual legislation passed for HR34 that is awaiting Obama’s signature (and hopefully he will not sign it): https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/34/text

        If you would like to talk about this important issue: Yvonne Smith will have a show on Late Night with a Hero tonight, December 11, 2016 9PM Eastern (267)521-0167 to call in and be part of the show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/talkwithtenney/2016/12/12/late-night-with-a-hero-host-yvonne-smith-with-ron-manderscheid-phd
        Join Yvonne Smith on Late Night with Hero with Ron Manderscheid, Ph.D.Call in at (267)521-0167 on December 11, 2016 at 9PM Eastern, 8PM Central, 7PM Mountain, 6PM Pacific.

        This week, Yvonne’s guest is Ron Manderscheid, Ph.D. Executive Director of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors and the National Association for Rural Mental Health.

        HR 34 is at the President’s Desk to be signed.

        Be part of the discussion about peers and the Murphy Bill. Find out for what is and what is not in H.R. 34 and what we can do going forward.

        Call in!

        Tune in for up-to-the-minute-updates.

        For previous shows: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/talkwithtenney/2016/12/05/emergency-senate-vote-on-amendment-to-hr-34-is-near-ideas-for-legislators

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      • The point when, as Lauren stated, NO ONE will be immune from psychiatric screening from cradle to grave is, simultaneously, about the worst thing imaginable as well as a moment which holds great promise. There must be a collective tipping point coming where masses of people will have an “AHA” moment and see through the whole game, and will “discover” Szasz, MIA, Breggin, Whitaker and the anti-psychiatry movement. Kids especially will see through this totalitarian assault on their life energies and recognize the lies soon enough. We need to support them. Our job should be to have the resources ready for people to access when they’re ready to make use of them and do the educational work needed to help usher in an unprecedented level of public — and mainstream — anti-psychiatry activism. Short of nuclear or environmental destruction of the planet, this is a matter of when, not if.

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  71. Yvonne Smith on Late Night with A Hero tonight, December 11, 2016 has Ron Manderscheid on as a guest to walk through some of the implications of HR 34 as he sees them…. 9PM Eastern (267)521-0167 to call in and be part of the show. Here’s the link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/talkwithtenney/2016/12/12/late-night-with-a-hero-host-yvonne-smith-with-ron-manderscheid-phd

    Join Yvonne Smith on Late Night with Hero with Ron Manderscheid, Ph.D.Call in at (267)521-0167 on December 11, 2016 at 9PM Eastern, 8PM Central, 7PM Mountain, 6PM Pacific.

    This week, Yvonne’s guest is Ron Manderscheid, Ph.D. Executive Director of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors and the National Association for Rural Mental Health.

    HR 34 is at the President’s Desk to be signed.

    Be part of the discussion about peers and the Murphy Bill. Find out for what is and what is not in H.R. 34 and what we can do going forward.

    Call in!

    Tune in for up-to-the-minute-updates.

    For previous shows: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/talkwithtenney/2016/12/05/emergency-senate-vote-on-amendment-to-hr-34-is-near-ideas-for-legislators

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  72. Looking at those requirements for force are so scary. So many more will be roped in who would be better off without psych in their lives. Many are so young and don’t get a chance to know any other life, to know that another way is possible, better, more enjoyable, and you even get the rights, privileges, respect, and dignity we all deserve.

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    • Yes – and babies “(b) Eligible Children And Entities.—In this section:

      “(1) ELIGIBLE CHILD.—The term ‘eligible child’ means a child from birth to not more than 12 years of age who—

      “(A) is at risk for, shows early signs of, or has been diagnosed with a mental illness, including a serious emotional disturbance; and

      “(B) may benefit from infant and early childhood intervention or treatment programs or specialized preschool or elementary school programs that are evidence-based or that have been scientifically demonstrated to show promise but would benefit from further applied development.

      “(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible entity’ means a human services agency or nonprofit institution that—

      “(A) employs licensed mental health professionals who have specialized training and experience in infant and early childhood mental health assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, or is accredited or approved by the appropriate State agency, as applicable, to provide for children from infancy to 12 years of age mental health promotion, intervention, or treatment services; and

      “(B) provides services or programs described in subsection (a) that are evidence-based or that have been scientifically demonstrated to show promise but would benefit from further applied development.

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  73. Julie — it targets INFANTS, Children, Pregnant, Lactating, and Postpartum Women:
    SEC. 10006. INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION, INTERVENTION, AND TREATMENT.
    Part Q of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280h et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

    “SEC. 399Z–2. INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION, INTERVENTION, AND TREATMENT.

    “(a) Grants.—The Secretary shall—

    “(1) award grants to eligible entities to develop, maintain, or enhance infant and early childhood mental health promotion, intervention, and treatment programs, including—

    “(A) programs for infants and children at significant risk of developing, showing early signs of, or having been diagnosed with mental illness, including a serious emotional disturbance; and

    “(B) multigenerational therapy and other services that support the caregiving relationship; and

    “(2) ensure that programs funded through grants under this section are evidence-informed or evidence-based models, practices, and methods that are, as appropriate, culturally and linguistically appropriate, and can be replicated in other appropriate settings.

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    • Clearly aimed to drug up foster kids and take children away from known psych patients. Aimed at the poor and minorities. And to ensure those of us thought of as nutcases lose custody even faster.

      What next? Infant incontinence is a mental disease? Drug your baby and you’ll never change a diaper again!

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  74. and Julie: Yes – there is not going to be a person who escapes psychiatric assessment – from in utero . . . (pregnant and lactating women are targets)

    This Continues from “SEC. 399Z–2. INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION, INTERVENTION, AND TREATMENT.
    “(c) Application.—An eligible entity seeking a grant under subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

    “(d) Use Of Funds For Early Intervention And Treatment Programs.—An eligible entity may use amounts awarded under a grant under subsection (a)(1) to carry out the following:

    “(1) Provide age-appropriate mental health promotion and early intervention services or mental illness treatment services, which may include specialized programs, for eligible children at significant risk of developing, showing early signs of, or having been diagnosed with a mental illness, including a serious emotional disturbance. Such services may include social and behavioral services as well as multigenerational therapy and other services that support the caregiving relationship.

    “(2) Provide training for health care professionals with expertise in infant and early childhood mental health care with respect to appropriate and relevant integration with other disciplines such as primary care clinicians, early intervention specialists, child welfare staff, home visitors, early care and education providers, and others who work with young children and families.

    “(3) Provide mental health consultation to personnel of early care and education programs (including licensed or regulated center-based and home-based child care, home visiting, preschool special education, and early intervention programs) who work with children and families.

    “(4) Provide training for mental health clinicians in infant and early childhood in promising and evidence-based practices and models for infant and early childhood mental health treatment and early intervention, including with regard to practices for identifying and treating mental illness and behavioral disorders of infants and children resulting from exposure or repeated exposure to adverse childhood experiences or childhood trauma.

    “(5) Provide age-appropriate assessment, diagnostic, and intervention services for eligible children, including early mental health promotion, intervention, and treatment services.

    “(e) Matching Funds.—The Secretary may not award a grant under this section to an eligible entity unless the eligible entity agrees, with respect to the costs to be incurred by the eligible entity in carrying out the activities described in subsection (d), to make available non-Federal contributions (in cash or in kind) toward such costs in an amount that is not less than 10 percent of the total amount of Federal funds provided in the grant.

    “(f) Authorization Of Appropriations.—To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2018 through 2022.”.

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        • It’s pretty fuckin’ laughable. What happens when the sun still rises & sets after Jan. 20? (38 days actually.) Makes me think of that song “The End of the World” (the Skeeter Davis one, not the REM one, but maybe that too actually). If they’re going to be looking behind bushes for “fascism,” what do they call this? Pre-fascism? That’s a little better, right?

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  75. Human Being,

    As one of those “evil” liberals, this is not a conservative vs. liberal issue. Our country has been stolen by a foreign government which even Republicans like Lindsey Graham realize.

    Anyway, I would be very happy if a sane Republican like Mitt Romney got chosen even if I disagreed with all his policies. But at least I would be able to sleep at night.

    You think this is a big fat joke but if Trump gets into office, all of us on this site will have alot greater concerns than the future of the Murphy bill.

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    • Lauren they plan to plant Money Trees in the Arizona desert. Spray them with Pharma pesticides that kill off all the wildlife to ensure the money doesn’t get eaten by bugs. Then, after they have violated the wildlife, harvest the dough from the trees and use that to violate our rights.

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    • Lauren I have a friend who uses one of those push-button 911 devices which she chose to have herself. This is not exactly a tracking device per se but she tells me it has really saved her at times, either in the physical sense and also saves her from potentially embarrassing situations. The reason is that she often uses a wheelchair and if she were to fall, she’d need to quickly and easily summon assistance (rather than screaming till a neighbor heard). She uses it also if her wheelchair malfunctions and she needs to get “rescued.” She told me she used it when she fell and couldn’t get back up. It only calls 911 when she pushes the button, that is, voluntarily summons emergency personnel. That I know of it doesn’t track her unless she needs it to for the EMT’s to find her. I believe she wears it on her wrist. The act says noninvasive and non-permanent. My guess is that it would be a wristlet similar to a medic alert bracelet.

      Yes, I know what this is leading to. But they state that the tracking is voluntary and a parent or guardian of the elder or child has the right to refuse on behalf of the child or elder. The act also states that the tracking cannot be used to form a government database. What I didn’t see was whether the elder or child him/herself had the right to refuse to wear it, on his/her own behalf. But if it’s removable, he/she can just get sneaky no matter what the law says.

      I did not see anything about embedded microchips, like the ones some pets have. However they do have that technology. Now and then I see articles on just how wonderful it is…..Yikes.

      I think we need to do away with criminal databases and sex offender registries. If a person committed a crime as a young person who should be concerned if decades have passed? As for the sex offender registry, all that means is “I got caught,” or, “I got framed.” The other 99% who never even see a courtroom didn’t. The ankle trackers are unconstitutional. They aren’t in the wearer’s best interest. My friend’s EMT button, on the other hand, is something she deliberately chose, considering her own safety.

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  78. OMG they are powerful. This is broad, sweeping, comprehensive.

    And evil.

    This may be rebound from the desperation, because the science is starting to come out against psychiatry practices. But if it goes into effect, damn. What a mess.

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  79. No matter how atypical a tactic it may seem, we need to encourage all Republican efforts to cut funding from “mental health” budgets left & right in the name of stopping wasteful spending, fighting “big government,” whatever it takes. And we need to make “psychiatric drug shooting” a public catch phrase in the vernacular of the Trump era (not that this has anything to do with Trump).

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    • Agreed. I hear among the buzz of homeowners many complaints about “high taxes.” They need to know about the insane wasteful “mental health” spending that’s only ruining the lives of those the money is being spent on, money spent to keep people in System, including the Penal System, the Welfare System, the Child Protective (Foster Care) System, the Mental System. Taxpayers are paying to house Slaves within for thousands per day, while the money ultimately goes straight into the pockets of the drug companies. Meanwhile the average taxpayer rants about “fraud” that is by comparison, petty.

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  81. There was a time when I would not have believed this type of legislation possible… I was 14, and honestly fell asleep that first night in an institution believing that the worst possible outcome for me would be not having time to find the absolute perfect dress for homecoming. It would be almost four years before I was even allowed to choose what I wore again, and by then, homecoming had been long forgotten. It would be nearly another year of being randomly re institutionalized and released over and over again before I finally saw a courtroom. The first three years, every new subjugation… every new level of dehumanization was utterly unimaginable to me. “God punishes us for what we can’t imagine.” And somehow I couldn’t imagine this, but I’m also not surprised.
    Additionally, are we seriously still attempting to toe the party line? When everyone gets paid by the same groups no matter what stance they mimed for the public, I think the illusion of a two party system is almost naive. Republican… democrat… I don’t see either of them being for us so their political agendas are rather moot. I’m not sure anyone won this election, but I am sure that we lose either way. Once these measures are in place, we are basically silenced by a system that is designed to keep us silent and compliant. I’m starting to wonder if we really can afford to maintain this quiet, unassuming presence or we need to start considering an organized and forceful stance…

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  82. It still blows my mind that people refuse to see what should be obvious, that fact that people who end up in the mental health system and get labeled and get further incapacitated, are simply living in accord with the attitude their parents had towards them. So it is the parents who should be held accountable. Probably not by incarceration, but financially accountable.

    And then the Psychotherapists and Life Coaches, their job is to keep people stuck in the fog.

    I am blown away that people still refuse to see his.

    Nomadic

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