State of Wisconsin
Department of Health Services
February 14, 2011
Mr. William R. Benedict
Madison, WI 53704-5107
Dear Mr. Benedict:
Thanks you for your letter and your interest in informing the Wisconsin on Mental Health about Robert Whitaker’s book, “Anatomy of an Epidemic.” You noted that the book outlined the research regarding the long-term impact, cost and repercussion of reliance on prescription drugs to treat mental illness.
You note in your letter that you believe that the Council members, who include patients and family members, would be the best to review the findings of Mr. Whitaker’s book because they have the fewest conflicts of interest. At this point, the Council has not yet recommended to the Department further action or additional consideration of the book’s findings.
I agree with you that our Department should use every means possible to become more efficient and effective and use the latest data and research to promote the most cost-effective treatment approaches that will improve outcomes for people who have a mental illness. I appreciate the information that you have provided and thank you for binging this to my attention.
Sincerely,
Dennis G. Smith
Secretary
Monday, February 14, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Project Update - Letter to new Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Secretary Dennis Smith
Department of Health Services
1 West Wilson Street
P.O. Box 7850
Madison, WI 53707
February 2, 2011
Re: Wisconsin Council on Mental Health Action Recommendation
Dear Mr. Smith:
Congratulations and the best of luck in your new position. What follows is my effort to maintain the continuity and support for a modest project that is now in process. I hope it will accomplish much and at the lowest possible cost to Wisconsin taxpayers.
I am a retired social worker and worked for many years as the program evaluation specialist for Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.
In July of last year I wrote a letter to the then Sec. Karen Timberlake and alerted her to the recent book by Robert Whitaker called Anatomy of an Epidemic. I informed her that in spite of my many years in mental health research, only after reading Whitaker’s book did I become aware of the fifty or more evidenced-based long-term mental health outcome studies and their findings therein.
Most briefly, these long-term study findings ---several funded totally or in part by the NIMH ---consistently showed that mental health patients treated continuously on a strong drug regimen usually did less well than those treated primarily with fewer drugs and with a range of psychosocial therapies.
My recommendation to Ms. Timberlake simply called for members of Wisconsin’s Council on Mental Health to become as knowledgeable as possible of these latest evidenced-based long-term study findings, and in light of their own findings, consider there implications for the for the Division’s current mental health policies and practices. Presently my proposed recommendation to the Wisconsin Council on Mental Health has been assigned to the Council’s Legislative and Policy Committee.
Considering the challenges that all Wisconsin taxpayers now face along with a staggering deficit and an ever faltering economy I believe our health department should use every means possible to become more efficient and effective.
One way to do this is to simply take look at the latest scientific mental health long-term research study findings contained in Whitaker’s book but largely kept from the public’s eye until now.
My recommendation to the Wisconsin Council on Mental Health envisions a completion date by July of this year and a small volunteer committee of interested Council members to read and review at least a sample of the most significant long-term studies, and then weigh these findings in the context of one or more programs within the Division.
Who better than patients or family members of patients to compare these new long-term outcomes findings with Wisconsin’s existing mental health policy and practices? Who could serve with the fewest conflicts of interests or be any fairer than Council members whose primary mission and commitment is to monitor Wisconsin’s mental health program performance and make recommendations for improvements
To help contain both the members’ time and resources I hope the July deadline will be met. As an incentive for organizational representatives to purchase this book I have allocated $300.00 out of my own budgeted resources to help organizations defray their expenses for the cost of the book.
I hope this update will be useful. Your comments would be most welcome and appreciated. For more information about this advocacy project see my blog:
danecountyalmanac.blogspot.com.
Most respectfully yours,
William R. Benedict, MSW
See: Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald, Sen. Mark Miller, Rep. Joe Parisi, John Easterday, Jackie Baldwin, Judy Wilcox, Geoff Greiveldinger, Lania Syren, Marc Herstand, Jan Greenberg, Diane Greenly, Marc Herstand, Michael J. Fitzpatrick
Department of Health Services
1 West Wilson Street
P.O. Box 7850
Madison, WI 53707
February 2, 2011
Re: Wisconsin Council on Mental Health Action Recommendation
Dear Mr. Smith:
Congratulations and the best of luck in your new position. What follows is my effort to maintain the continuity and support for a modest project that is now in process. I hope it will accomplish much and at the lowest possible cost to Wisconsin taxpayers.
I am a retired social worker and worked for many years as the program evaluation specialist for Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.
In July of last year I wrote a letter to the then Sec. Karen Timberlake and alerted her to the recent book by Robert Whitaker called Anatomy of an Epidemic. I informed her that in spite of my many years in mental health research, only after reading Whitaker’s book did I become aware of the fifty or more evidenced-based long-term mental health outcome studies and their findings therein.
Most briefly, these long-term study findings ---several funded totally or in part by the NIMH ---consistently showed that mental health patients treated continuously on a strong drug regimen usually did less well than those treated primarily with fewer drugs and with a range of psychosocial therapies.
My recommendation to Ms. Timberlake simply called for members of Wisconsin’s Council on Mental Health to become as knowledgeable as possible of these latest evidenced-based long-term study findings, and in light of their own findings, consider there implications for the for the Division’s current mental health policies and practices. Presently my proposed recommendation to the Wisconsin Council on Mental Health has been assigned to the Council’s Legislative and Policy Committee.
Considering the challenges that all Wisconsin taxpayers now face along with a staggering deficit and an ever faltering economy I believe our health department should use every means possible to become more efficient and effective.
One way to do this is to simply take look at the latest scientific mental health long-term research study findings contained in Whitaker’s book but largely kept from the public’s eye until now.
My recommendation to the Wisconsin Council on Mental Health envisions a completion date by July of this year and a small volunteer committee of interested Council members to read and review at least a sample of the most significant long-term studies, and then weigh these findings in the context of one or more programs within the Division.
Who better than patients or family members of patients to compare these new long-term outcomes findings with Wisconsin’s existing mental health policy and practices? Who could serve with the fewest conflicts of interests or be any fairer than Council members whose primary mission and commitment is to monitor Wisconsin’s mental health program performance and make recommendations for improvements
To help contain both the members’ time and resources I hope the July deadline will be met. As an incentive for organizational representatives to purchase this book I have allocated $300.00 out of my own budgeted resources to help organizations defray their expenses for the cost of the book.
I hope this update will be useful. Your comments would be most welcome and appreciated. For more information about this advocacy project see my blog:
danecountyalmanac.blogspot.com.
Most respectfully yours,
William R. Benedict, MSW
See: Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald, Sen. Mark Miller, Rep. Joe Parisi, John Easterday, Jackie Baldwin, Judy Wilcox, Geoff Greiveldinger, Lania Syren, Marc Herstand, Jan Greenberg, Diane Greenly, Marc Herstand, Michael J. Fitzpatrick
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