Bush Goes Mental

It's official. Bush has unveiled an ambitious plan that aims to screen the whole US population for mental illness, and to integrate mentally ill patients fully into the community by providing services in the community, rather than institutions according to a recent progress report.
Bush set up a New Freedom Commission in mental health in 2002 which found, unsurprisingly, that mental disorders often go undiagnosed, and recommended screening for consumers of all ages. This included even pre-school children.

The commission recommended linkage [of screening] with treatment including state-of-the-art treatments using specific medications for specific conditions. The commission commended a Texas Medication Algorithm Project as a model medication treatment plan.

Sounds like Bush is finally doing something for his people? Something worthwhile, good and right? Think again.

The Texas project promotes the use of newer, more expensive antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs; which have not been shown to be superior in efficacy to older, cheaper drugs, verified by studies in the US and UK which suggested that it makes more sense for older drugs to be used first. Key officials with influence over the medication plan in one state received money and perks from drug companies with a stake in the medication algorithm.

There's more:
Olanzapine (sorry, I only use generic names), one of the atypical antipsychotic drugs recommended as a first line drug in the Texas algorithm, grossed $4.28bn worldwide in 2003 and is Eli Lilly's top selling drug. So what? Well, George Bush Sr was a member of Lilly's board of directors and Bush Jr appointed Lilly's chief executive officer, Taurel, to a seat on the Homeland Security Council. Lilly made $1.6m in political contributions in 2000 — 82% of which went to Bush and the Republican Party.

And also:
The companies that helped to start up the Texas project have been, and still are, big contributors to the election funds of George W Bush. Bush is the clear front runner when it comes to drug company contributions. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, manufacturers of drug products have contributed $764 274 to the 2004 Bush campaign through their political action committees and employees, far outstripping the $149 400 given to his chief rival, John Kerry, by 26 April.

Well we find, unsurprisingly, that Corruption and Backscratching, though often undiagnosed, are still prevalent and thriving in Bush's newest plan.