SSRI's & Suicide - HEARING IN CALIFORNIA - August 4, 2004

[Guest guest]

> JustSayNo

> Thu, 15 Jul 2004 03:29:38 -0000

> [sSRI-Research] SSRI's & Suicide - HEARING

> IN CALIFORNIA - August 4, 2004

>

> SSRI's & Suicide - HEARING IN CALIFORNIA - August 4,

> 2004

>

> -- www.prozacbacklash.com; www.breggin.com

>

>

> Dear Friends,

>

> There will be a hearing at the California State

> Capitol, Sacramento,

> California on August 4, 2004 in the afternoon

> regarding SSRI drugs

> and their effects on suicide. The hearing is being

> held by Senator

> Deborah Ortiz (D, Sacramento)(who has been a big

> friend of the

> psychiatric industry) and Senator Tom Torlakson (D,

> Antioch). The

> speakers for the first three panels were arranged by

> staff at the

> Senate Health and Human Services Committee, which

> Senator Ortiz

> chairs. The staff coordinator for the overall

> hearing is Jack Haley,

> 916-445-5965. Terri Leach, in Senator Torlakson's

> Concord,

> California, office is coordinating family members

> and consumers to

> testify, and these panelists are not firmed up at

> this time, I

> am told. She can be reached at 925-445-6083.

>

> The hearing will consist of four panels of

> presenters:

>

> Researchers:

>

> Joseph Glenmullen, MD from Harvard

> Dr. Peter Breggin

> Dr. Glen Elliott from UC San Francisco psychiatric

> institute

>

> Legal:

>

> A representative from the California Attorney

> General's office M.

> Menzies, a lawyer from the L.A. area, firm unknown.

>

> Health Experts:

>

> Someone from the California Medical Association

> Someone from the

> Pharmaceutical Association Dr. Stephen Mayberg,

> Director of the

> California Department of Mental Health

>

> Consumer and Family Panel:

>

> (this panel seems to not be totally firmed up yet)

> Mark Chaffee,

> representative of SPAN, Suicide Prevention Action

> Network A family

> member or two of persons who committed suicide while

> on SSRIs or who

> were " saved " by SSRIs.

>

> A consumer or two

>

> (These last two categories would include people who

> feel they were

> helped and people who feel they were harmed, so that

> there will be a

> balance)

>

> There will be public testimony taken at the end, but

> how much time

> there will be or how many legislators will still be

> in the room is a

> matter of luck. However, a big showing of spectators

> can be useful

> anyway. I don't know what media coverage is planned

> by the Senators,

> if any. The hearing is slated to be in a room that

> holds quite a

> large number of people. Since policy committees are

> done for the

> year, it may be televised on Capital TV and on

> public access channels

> and possibly over the internet.

>

> Public testimony can be submitted in written form to

> the Senate

> Health and Human Services Committee, State Capitol,

> Sacramento, CA

> 95814 either before or within a few days after the

> hearing for

> inclusion in an offical written report that will be

> made available in

> hard copy possibly online.

>