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Her Article Spoke to Me
To the Editors:
I have never written a letter to the editor of a newspaper that is published in a city 3,000 miles from where I live. My brother lives in New York City and he sent me a copy of your spring 2006 issue. On page 14, an article titled Learning to Live with Psychosis written by Eileen McManus was particularly moving to me. Although I do not experience (by my evaluation) a mental disorder, her article spoke to me as a human being. It was well written, playful and poetic. This is a rare combination in any written work. To Ms. McManus, “Thanks for your article—keep up your excellent work.”
Collin Boyd
Ashland, Oregon

An Overseas Fan
To the Editors:
Thank you to let me know New York Voice. I am from Hong Kong. Last night I read a book in Chinese version "The Day The Voice Stopped about Mr. Ken Steele. It is the first book I finish the reading at one time from 6:00pm to 02:00am about 282 pages! It was a very touching story to let me understand more of mental health, teach doctors and nursing field a lots and wake people up to get a wider way to think of the situation nowadays. I thank you Mr. Ken Steele.
I was volunteer to visit patients in hospital many years ago. At that moment, I felt so difficult to talk or build friendship with them. But now I have some new view point to see the over all picture since reading the book. So I search your website to know more update news.
Hope my email is an encouragement. It is my great pleasure to have all of you keep on work for this field and wish the bless may keep 52 states and out of States spread to global.
Wing Man
Hong Kong, China
You may write to Wing by email at golji234@yahoo.com.hk

The Medicare Part D Fiasco
To the Editors:
This weekend I tried to help a low-income, disabled woman who has been denied her medication. She should have received free meds under Medicare Part D since January 1st but this has not happened, which is the fault of the State (Connecticut) as well as the federal government. She has a letter certifying that her MedicareRx card is on the way, but her pharmacist refused to honor this letter, demanding $16.50 on the spot. She asked her sister to lend her the $16.50, but her sister refused. She suffers from bipolar illness and post-traumatic stress disorder and is running out of her mood stabilizer. At the moment she is incapable of dealing with problems of this sort without help. Last night she told me that she had decided to cut her dosage in half to make the pills last though Tuesday, expecting to receive some money by Wednesday. I persuaded her that this was unnecessary and inappropriate, and that she should call the pharmacist again and ask him to put the money on my credit card if need be. What happens to patients who don't have anyone to help them?
I discussed this problem with a lawyer who was deeply shocked and outraged. In such a situation, a pharmacist could be held criminally negligent as well as liable. If someone died, a pharmacist could be charged with criminally negligent homicide.
I sympathize with pharmacists who must borrow money because the government fails to reimburse them in a timely manner. Some are being driven out of business. Nonetheless, in this deplorable situation, they are required to step into the breach.
The pharmacist finally gave this woman some free pills and her money arrived early. Others may not be so lucky.
John Gregor, PhD
High Falls, New York
John can be contacted via email JohnMGregor@aol.com

High Cost to Mental Patients
To the Editors:
I want to complain about the vending machines. This company is charging psychiatric patients too much money for the different items they have in the machines. These patients receive once a week public needs allowances. Now if two…products cost 90 cents each, they will be paying $1.80. We don’t have jobs, but we have rights and we feel our rights have been taken away from us. This man…came and had a meeting with us saying all the machines on the…grounds will change. This is not true at all. Only the machines where patients are [located] were increased [in cost]. They refused to [increase costs to] the other machines where the police officers are and MHLS. This is telling us that this vending company wants to be cruel to mental patients. Please help us stop the mental cruelty!
Jeanita Sebastian
Kew Gardens, New York
Please contact City Voices, Inc. if you wish to help Jeanita and her fellow consumers.

CATIE Study a Dangerous Thing
To the Editors:
The CATIE (Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness) study is possibly one of the most negative things that has happened to people with major psychosis for a long time….The major endpoint for the study, as I understand it, is that people stayed on their anti-psychotic medicine. In my mind, from being in those shoes, the real question posed was “How much discomfort can they tolerate?” These drugs are not pleasant to take. What should have been studied is the quality of life people had on the different drugs. I’ve personally been on all of the atypical antipsychotics out there: Risperdal, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Geodon, and Abilify. Thank god I’ve found [a cocktail of meds that] control my symptoms enough to work as a librarian, as a webmaster, and go to college. It’s taken me over ten years to get to this combination of drugs and a modicum of happiness. If I were to suddenly lose access to the life-changing drugs I’m on because of a Medicaid restriction, I’d be devastated, as would many people in similar situations. Why might government formularies pick on this section of society? It’s because we’re expendable and the government pays out $5.5 billion for these drugs annually. There is so much stigma and ignorance about schizophrenia in the general public that it will probably be an easier sell to cut these helpful medicines than to sell the necessity of a war in Iraq. I feel that it is in everyone’s best interest to let the doctors prescribe what they feel works best for their individual patients. In this case, to tie a psychiatrist’s hands is to slit the throats of the people with mental illness that they care for.
William Jiang, MLS
New York, New York

Make Mental Health a Political Movement
To the Editors:
I found your web site newyorkcityvoices.org very informative and enlightening.
However, there are thousands of mental health advocacy sites and organizations in this country, yet I feel no one is listening.
Firstly, there is no central leadership to tie together all the organizations and people concerned with mental health advocacy and issues. Why? [It is because] the lack of caring among the people of this country is caused by this mental health and disability issue not being a political one!
Who, especially politicians, care about an “issue” that is on the very back burner of [all political] issues?
I say we must become more proactive and take to the streets! This method is one where people can see us, rather than wish the mentally ill would just go away. We perpetually fail at making mental illness a political issue and “failure is not an option.”
Emi Colangelo
Islip, New York
Emil can be reached through email emil49@juno.com