Who really benifits by teenscreen

http://ahrp.org/children/mentalscreen/LillyCheck.jpg

FYI

Screening for Mental Health, Inc, a " non-profit "

corporation affiliated

with Harvard University--McLean Hospital claims

to screen for " Signs of

Suicide " --

The photo below is from the Belmont

Citizen-Herald. It shows officials of

Screening for Mental Health accepting a $500,000

check from Eli Lilly --a

small investment for the billions the company

stands to gain from mental

screening leading to increased prescriptions.

(If your e-mail program does

not allow graphics, See the photo at:

Listed below the

picture is SMH board of directors and their

affiliations.

Screening for Mental Health has competition from

Columbia University's

TeenScreen--it promises to " catch them before

they fall. "

Both are obvious pharmaceutical market expansion

gimmicks. They pretend to

be " life saving " suicide prevention tools, but

their tactics are as

loathsome as --as valid as commercially

motivated as snake oil sales

pitches of yesteryear. In fact, there is no

evidence of any valid suicide

prevention tool. See:

http://www.ahrp.org/children/teenscreen/debateNAS0206.ppt

The sophisticated promotional campaign for

TeenScreen is orchestrated and

managed by powerful PR firms--Rabin Strategic

Partners with

Communications, and Widmeyer Communications.

Their clients--you guessed

it--are Big Pharma companies. See below.

Widmeyer Communication: " Marketing to young

people has always been a

sensitive topic. But as an audience of 40

million with annual buying power

of $364 billion, teens and " tweens " are

important customers in the

marketplace of products and ideas. For " social

marketers " - namely

organizations and government agencies striving

to change behavior - three

recent and ongoing campaigns demonstrate the

powerful impact of sound

research and strategic partnerships in achieving

success. "

As Dr. Gosden and Dr. Sharon Beder

report, " The development of

political agenda-setting through the use of

sophisticated public relations

techniques is threatening to undermine the

delicate balance of

representative democracy. " (The two authors are

highly respected Australian

authors and academics who have written numerous

books and peer reviewed

articles)

See: 'Pharmaceutical Industry Agenda Setting in

Mental Health Policies',

Ethical Human Sciences and Services,

Fall/Winter 2001, 3(3):147-159.

http://homepage.mac.com/herinst/sbeder/pharm-agenda.html.

SCREENING FOR MENTAL HEALTH Board of Directors

http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/about/board.aspx

Ross Baldessarini, M.D.

Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Senior Consulting Psychiatrist, Massachusetts

General Hospital

Director at McLean Hospital of:

Bipolar & Psychotic Disorders Program

International Consortium for Bipolar Disorder

Research

Laboratories for Psychiatric Research

Psychopharmacology Program McLean Hospital

Belmont, MA

Leonard Freedberg, M.D.

Newton-Wellesley Psychiatry Newton, MA

G. s, M.D.

Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry,

Harvard Medical School

Executive Director, Screening For Mental Health

Wellesley, MA

Jerrold Rosenbaum, M.D.

Chief of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General

Hospital

Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

President and Executive Director, The Mood and

Anxiety Disorders Unit at

Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA

Henry Scully Jr., M.D.

Medical Director, American Psychiatric

Association, Arlington, VA

Alan Weinstein

Vice President, Fixed Income Division, Fidelity

Investments Wellesley, MA

Myrna Weissman, Ph.D.

Professor of Epidemiology & Psychiatry, College

of Physicians & Surgeons of

Columbia University New York, NY

~~~~~~~~~

TeenScreen PR firms: Rabin Strategic Partners

Steve Rabin, head of TeenScreen's PR firm, is

an expert on the art of

forming advocacy partnerships. More recently,

Rabin has been applying his

skills in partnership formation with the giant

PR conglomerate

Communications Worldwide.

Dr. Gosden and Sharon Beder, wrote: " The

public relations industry

often refers to front groups euphemistically as

" partners " . Steve Rabin, a

former executive vice president/general manager

of Porter/Novelli, is an

expert on the art of forming advocacy

partnerships. According to Rabin

Rabin has been applying his skills in

partnership formation with the giant

PR conglomerate Communications Worldwide.

's client list

includes Abbott Laboratories, AstraZeneca,

Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli

Lilly, Glaxo Wellcombe, Hoffman-La Roche,

Janssen-Cilag,, Lundbeck,

Novartis, Pfizer, Kline Beecham,

Wyeth-Ayerst International, together

with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill

NAMI). (

Communications Worldwide, 2001).

Rabin's Services Include:

Global monitoring of governments, the media, the

marketplace, the web,

advocacy groups, and internal audiences to

identify trends and seize

opportunities.

They have provided strategic partner services

for:

* Columbia University

* Janssen Pharmaceutica

* &

* & /Merck

* McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals

" Beyond the Boardroom: Applying Proven Business

Practices to Public Health

Communication

Monday, April 25, 2005 4:30PM and 6:30PM Emory

University

The inaugural lecture, Can Health Really Be

Marketed Like Toothpaste?

will be presented by Steve Rabin, president of

Rabin Strategic Partners

lecture will include an

insightful, provocative, critical, and inspiring

discussion about the

similarities and differences between consumer

marketing and public health

communications. Not just for communication

professionals, Rabin's

presentation will help all public health

practitioners better understand

such foreign topics as marketing, issues

management, public affairs, and

enterprise-wide communications. See:

http://www.widmeyer.com/archives/2004/08/columbia_univer_1.php

Case Study: DIRECT-TO-PATIENT ADVERTISING:

Stopping a Bad Bill in Its

Tracks

" Our client, one of the nation's largest

publishers of free, consumer

health information, faced a tremendous threat. A

member of the California

Senate introduced an anti-advertising bill that

would ban sponsored

direct-to-patient health newsletters.

Working under a pressing legislative deadline,

Rabin Strategic Partners

quickly developed our client's outreach

strategy. We outlined the issue

and communicated it to key stakeholders. We then

went on to build a strong

and diverse coalition opposed to the legislation

of consumer and patient

groups, medical societies and organizations

protecting underserved

populations. These groups were strategically

recruited from the local

districts of key members of the

California Senate and Assembly.

Rabin Strategic Partners also developed and

disseminated key messages to

potential coalition members, members of the

state legislature and the

Schwarzenegger administration.

Strong momentum built against the bill and

highlighted that it actually

would thwart patient information. In the end

the bill's sponsor withdrew

it from consideration. "

Case Study: MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-UPS FOR TEENS: A

Ten-Year Strategy and a

Daily Responsibility:

" After a decade of extensive research, Columbia

University perfected a

simple questionnaire for teens that finds those

at risk of suicide and

suffering from unidentified mental illness, such

as depression. The big

question - how to offer a voluntary, mental

health check-up to every

American teenager before leaving high school?

Rabin Strategic Partners started to answer this

question three years ago.

We provided Columbia University with a ten-year

strategy including the

marketing, public policy and funding steps

needed to launch the program

nationally. Rabin Strategic Partners developed

and managed public

relations, lobbying and advertising to implement

the plan. Now on a daily

basis we track the media and political landscape

to make sure the plan

meshes with the current environment.

So far the strategy is paying off. Programs are

established in almost 500

communities in 42 states and over 250 sites are

in development. Thirty

four national organizations support voluntary,

mental health check-ups for

teens. Just recently federal grants were

awarded to four states to

implement the program as part of their overall

suicide prevention efforts. "

Case Study: COLUMBIA GRADUATE SCHOOL OF

JOURNALISM: Creating Coverage that

Makes a Difference

" Our client wanted to help move media coverage

of mental illness from the

sensational to the supportive. Rabin Strategic

Partners created a two and

one-half day colloquium at the Columbia Graduate

School of Journalism that

allowed journalists new to mental health

reporting to learn from

established reporters from such outlets as The

New York Times and The Wall

Street Journal. Scientists and advocates

participated in working sessions

held in the school's World Room, site of the

annual Pulitzer Prize

deliberations. The results were new story ideas

for coverage that could

make a difference in the lives of children with

mental illness and more

than 20 articles so far that incorporated

insights from these sessions. A

report of the colloquium proceedings was

distributed to more than 500

reporters and other interested parties. "

According to Brandweek, April 11, 2005

" There are two new hires at Rabin Strategic

Partners: A. Borgognoni

as partner and S. Hoppy as

communications associate. Borgognoni had

been at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Hoppy served as

assistant communications

director at Columbia University's Division of

Child and Adolescent

Psychiatry. "

*** AHRP obtained that report and uncovered the

$$ connection: " The

colloquium was sponsored by The Carmel Hill

Family Foundation and

unrestricted educational grants secured by the

Division of Child and

Adolescence Psychiatry from Janssen

Pharmaceutical Products, LP and

McNeilConsumer and Specialty Pharmaceuticals. "

Widmeyer Communications

Columbia University Division of Child &

Adolescent Psychiatry

Overview

*

percent of teens

who commit suicide suffer from a treatable

mental illness, the vast

majority of parents, teachers and other adults

are unaware that there is a

problem. As a result, 60 to 80 percent of

adolescents with depression will

go undiagnosed and untreated.

* Columbia, through its TeenScreen program, had

already been

partnering with schools and communities across

the nation to implement

mental health screening programs for youths. It

also created Positive

Action for Teen Health - a national initiative

to provide every teen in

America with a voluntary " mental health

check-up. "

Communications Challenge

* Getting the word out to ensure that parents

and other key players

(educators, policymakers, the media, etc.) were

aware of the Teen Screen

program and the importance of mental health

screening.

Strategy

* Combining our extensive knowledge in

education; results-oriented

communications expertise; in-house research,

polling and design; and

advertising capabilities, Widmeyer

Communications devised a comprehensive

national public health campaign involving media

relations, partnership

development, research, public affairs and

advertising.

Tactics

http://www.widmeyer.com/wire/2004/07/volume_5_issue_1.html

* Convened a National Advisory Council to

provide third party

credibility. Members included former Iowa

Governor Terry Branstad, former

National Education Association President Bob

Chase, actress Patty Duke,

Nobel Laureate Dr. Kandel, A Beautiful Mind

author Sylvia Nasar, and

Today Show medical reporter Ian .

* Developed a website - www.TeenScreen.org - to

provide important

information about teen depression and suicide

risk.

* Conducted a national poll investigating

parent's attitudes toward

teen mental health issues.

* Implemented an aggressive media relations

effort to publicize the

Positive Action for Teen Health initiative and

its goals, including

separate press launches in New York City and

Washington, DC.

* Established partnerships with national

education associations to

secure the necessary support from the

professional community.

Results

* Nationwide coverage in key outlets including

The Washington Post,

The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, AP, Reuters,

more than 85 metropolitan

newspapers, CNN Headline News, and a number of

local TV affiliates in major

media markets.

* In the first four weeks following the media

launch, the site

recorded more than 300,000 page views - as many

in one month as for the

entire preceding year.

* Since the launch, Columbia University has

received over 1,000

requests for information on how to start a

screening program at the

community level.

* There are currently three bills pending in

Congress related to teen

mental health issues and six state governments

are implementing plans to

adopt statewide screening programs.

March 2004 Special Issue: Reaching Youth

with Important Messages

Research and Partnerships are Critical Elements

To Successful Social Marketing to Young People

Marketing to young people has always been a

sensitive topic. But as an

audience of 40 million with annual buying power

of $364 billion, teens and

" tweens " are important customers in the

marketplace of products and ideas.

For " social marketers " - namely organizations

and government agencies

striving to change behavior - three recent and

ongoing campaigns

demonstrate the powerful impact of sound

research and strategic

partnerships in achieving success.

Although the results make it look easy, it's

important to note that in each

of these three campaigns, the influential

messaging, creative tactics and

effective " calls-to-action " were not created

overnight. Those leading the

efforts have committed significant time and

energy to gain a deep

understanding of the unique perspectives of

target audiences - and have

wisely tapped the power of intermediaries to

reach and influence these

audiences.

For the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services (HHS), which worked

with Widmeyer Communications to create and

launch the " Take A Stand. Lend A

Hand. Stop Bullying Now! " campaign, this

research involved numerous focus

groups with young people and adults to

understand the true impact and scope

of bullying and a " Youth Expert Panel " that

provided firsthand insight on

every aspect of the campaign. To reach target

audiences, the campaign then

formed partnerships with more than 70 health,

safety, education and

faith-based organizations to determine which

types of outreach materials

would be most useful for adults who interact

with youth on various levels.

For Columbia University, which turned to the

firm to promote " TeenScreen " -

a national

effort to provide

every teen in America with a voluntary school

" mental health check-up " for

depression and mental illness - research was

carried out through a national

poll investigating attitudes about teen mental

health. This campaign team

also formed partnerships with national education

associations and a

National Advisory Council that includes Former

National Education

Association President Bob Chase, actress Patty

Duke, Nobel Laureate Dr.

Kendel, A Beautiful Mind author Sylvia

Nasar, former Iowa Governor

Terry Branstand and NPR's Jacki Lyden.

And for the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education

Network (GLSEN), ongoing

research is being conducted through Widmeyer's

Research & Polling division

to gain direct insight from teens about the

impact of anti-gay slurs in

schools. This information will undoubtedly be

useful in GLSEN's continuing

success with the Safe Schools Action Network,

which uses a remarkably savvy

Internet-based approach to ensure that

individuals from all walks of life

can instantly weigh in on policies, media

reports and special events that

impact the lives of young people

A quick look at all of these efforts reveals the

impact that can be created

by a broad array of innovative and creative

communications tactics. Log on

to HHS' " Take A Stand. Lend A Hand. Stop

Bullying Now! " Web site and you will

be drawn into suspenseful animated

" Webisodes " about young people

struggling to find the right response to

bullying in a modern middle

school. Conduct a news search about Columbia

TeenScreen and you can see

news stories from CNN, the Associated Press, The

Washington Post and more

than 90 newspapers and local TV affiliates. Talk

to hundreds of school

counselors about the work of GLSEN, and you'll

hear about nationwide

" special events " such as " No Name Calling Week "

and the " Day of Silence " in

which 200,000 young people in 2,000 schools take

a vow of silence to

protest discrimination against lesbian, gay,

bisexual and transgender

students in their schools.

For more information about these organizations

and campaigns, visit

, and www.glsen.org

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t & ct=res & cd=1 & url=http%

Widmeyer Communications was hired to put

together the PR campaign.

Tactics:

Convened a National Advisory Council to provide

third party credibility.

Members included former Iowa Governor Terry

Branstad, former National

Education Association President Bob Chase,

actress Patty Duke, Nobel

Laureate Dr. Kandel, A Beautiful Mind

author Sylvia Nasar, and Today

Show medical reporter Ian .

* Established partnerships with national

education associations to secure

the necessary support from the professional

community.

* Implemented an aggressive media relations

effort to publicize the

Positive Action for Teen Health initiative and

its goals, including

separate press launches in New York City and

Washington, DC.

AHRP's question to TeenScreen administrators &

the federal agency that

supports TeenScreen (Substance Abuse and Mental

Health Services

Administration (SAMHSA

3A//www.samhsa.gov/ & ei=0P4KRPbaHsa4arnmiKcC & sig2=_uBF9lr51P2ub9m1wxBDy

A

)

If the goal of TeenScreen is not to promote

increased use of psychotropic

drugs, why did TeenScreen hire high powered PR

firms whose business is to

create promotional campaigns to increase drug

sales for its

clients--manufacturers of psychotropic drugs?

Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav

212-595-8974

veracare@...

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from the copyright owner.

_______________________________________________

March 12, 2006

ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION (AHRP)

Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, and

Accountability

http://ahrp.org/children/mentalscreen/LillyCheck.jpg

FYI

Screening for Mental Health, Inc, a " non-profit "

corporation affiliated

with Harvard University--McLean Hospital claims

to screen for " Signs of

Suicide " --

The photo below is from the Belmont

Citizen-Herald. It shows officials of

Screening for Mental Health accepting a $500,000

check from Eli Lilly --a

small investment for the billions the company

stands to gain from mental

screening leading to increased prescriptions.

(If your e-mail program does

not allow graphics, See the photo at:

Listed below the

picture is SMH board of directors and their

affiliations.

Screening for Mental Health has competition from

Columbia University's

TeenScreen--it promises to " catch them before

they fall. "

Both are obvious pharmaceutical market expansion

gimmicks. They pretend to

be " life saving " suicide prevention tools, but

their tactics are as

loathsome as --as valid as commercially

motivated as snake oil sales

pitches of yesteryear. In fact, there is no

evidence of any valid suicide

prevention tool. See:

http://www.ahrp.org/children/teenscreen/debateNAS0206.ppt

The sophisticated promotional campaign for

TeenScreen is orchestrated and

managed by powerful PR firms--Rabin Strategic

Partners with

Communications, and Widmeyer Communications.

Their clients--you guessed

it--are Big Pharma companies. See below.

Widmeyer Communication: " Marketing to young

people has always been a

sensitive topic. But as an audience of 40

million with annual buying power

of $364 billion, teens and " tweens " are

important customers in the

marketplace of products and ideas. For " social

marketers " - namely

organizations and government agencies striving

to change behavior - three

recent and ongoing campaigns demonstrate the

powerful impact of sound

research and strategic partnerships in achieving

success. "

As Dr. Gosden and Dr. Sharon Beder

report, " The development of

political agenda-setting through the use of

sophisticated public relations

techniques is threatening to undermine the

delicate balance of

representative democracy. " (The two authors are

highly respected Australian

authors and academics who have written numerous

books and peer reviewed

articles)

See: 'Pharmaceutical Industry Agenda Setting in

Mental Health Policies',

Ethical Human Sciences and Services,

Fall/Winter 2001, 3(3):147-159.

http://homepage.mac.com/herinst/sbeder/pharm-agenda.html.

SCREENING FOR MENTAL HEALTH Board of Directors

http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/about/board.aspx

Ross Baldessarini, M.D.

Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Senior Consulting Psychiatrist, Massachusetts

General Hospital

Director at McLean Hospital of:

Bipolar & Psychotic Disorders Program

International Consortium for Bipolar Disorder

Research

Laboratories for Psychiatric Research

Psychopharmacology Program McLean Hospital

Belmont, MA

Leonard Freedberg, M.D.

Newton-Wellesley Psychiatry Newton, MA

G. s, M.D.

Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry,

Harvard Medical School

Executive Director, Screening For Mental Health

Wellesley, MA

Jerrold Rosenbaum, M.D.

Chief of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General

Hospital

Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

President and Executive Director, The Mood and

Anxiety Disorders Unit at

Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA

Henry Scully Jr., M.D.

Medical Director, American Psychiatric

Association, Arlington, VA

Alan Weinstein

Vice President, Fixed Income Division, Fidelity

Investments Wellesley, MA

Myrna Weissman, Ph.D.

Professor of Epidemiology & Psychiatry, College

of Physicians & Surgeons of

Columbia University New York, NY

~~~~~~~~~

TeenScreen PR firms: Rabin Strategic Partners

Steve Rabin, head of TeenScreen's PR firm, is

an expert on the art of

forming advocacy partnerships. More recently,

Rabin has been applying his

skills in partnership formation with the giant

PR conglomerate

Communications Worldwide.

Dr. Gosden and Sharon Beder, wrote: " The

public relations industry

often refers to front groups euphemistically as

" partners " . Steve Rabin, a

former executive vice president/general manager

of Porter/Novelli, is an

expert on the art of forming advocacy

partnerships. According to Rabin

Rabin has been applying his skills in

partnership formation with the giant

PR conglomerate Communications Worldwide.

's client list

includes Abbott Laboratories, AstraZeneca,

Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli

Lilly, Glaxo Wellcombe, Hoffman-La Roche,

Janssen-Cilag,, Lundbeck,

Novartis, Pfizer, Kline Beecham,

Wyeth-Ayerst International, together

with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill

NAMI). (

Communications Worldwide, 2001).

Rabin's Services Include:

Global monitoring of governments, the media, the

marketplace, the web,

advocacy groups, and internal audiences to

identify trends and seize

opportunities.

They have provided strategic partner services

for:

* Columbia University

* Janssen Pharmaceutica

* &

* & /Merck

* McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals

" Beyond the Boardroom: Applying Proven Business

Practices to Public Health

Communication

Monday, April 25, 2005 4:30PM and 6:30PM Emory

University

The inaugural lecture, Can Health Really Be

Marketed Like Toothpaste?

will be presented by Steve Rabin, president of

Rabin Strategic Partners

lecture will include an

insightful, provocative, critical, and inspiring

discussion about the

similarities and differences between consumer

marketing and public health

communications. Not just for communication

professionals, Rabin's

presentation will help all public health

practitioners better understand

such foreign topics as marketing, issues

management, public affairs, and

enterprise-wide communications. See:

http://www.widmeyer.com/archives/2004/08/columbia_univer_1.php

Case Study: DIRECT-TO-PATIENT ADVERTISING:

Stopping a Bad Bill in Its

Tracks

" Our client, one of the nation's largest

publishers of free, consumer

health information, faced a tremendous threat. A

member of the California

Senate introduced an anti-advertising bill that

would ban sponsored

direct-to-patient health newsletters.

Working under a pressing legislative deadline,

Rabin Strategic Partners

quickly developed our client's outreach

strategy. We outlined the issue

and communicated it to key stakeholders. We then

went on to build a strong

and diverse coalition opposed to the legislation

of consumer and patient

groups, medical societies and organizations

protecting underserved

populations. These groups were strategically

recruited from the local

districts of key members of the

California Senate and Assembly.

Rabin Strategic Partners also developed and

disseminated key messages to

potential coalition members, members of the

state legislature and the

Schwarzenegger administration.

Strong momentum built against the bill and

highlighted that it actually

would thwart patient information. In the end

the bill's sponsor withdrew

it from consideration. "

Case Study: MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-UPS FOR TEENS: A

Ten-Year Strategy and a

Daily Responsibility:

" After a decade of extensive research, Columbia

University perfected a

simple questionnaire for teens that finds those

at risk of suicide and

suffering from unidentified mental illness, such

as depression. The big

question - how to offer a voluntary, mental

health check-up to every

American teenager before leaving high school?

Rabin Strategic Partners started to answer this

question three years ago.

We provided Columbia University with a ten-year

strategy including the

marketing, public policy and funding steps

needed to launch the program

nationally. Rabin Strategic Partners developed

and managed public

relations, lobbying and advertising to implement

the plan. Now on a daily

basis we track the media and political landscape

to make sure the plan

meshes with the current environment.

So far the strategy is paying off. Programs are

established in almost 500

communities in 42 states and over 250 sites are

in development. Thirty

four national organizations support voluntary,

mental health check-ups for

teens. Just recently federal grants were

awarded to four states to

implement the program as part of their overall

suicide prevention efforts. "

Case Study: COLUMBIA GRADUATE SCHOOL OF

JOURNALISM: Creating Coverage that

Makes a Difference

" Our client wanted to help move media coverage

of mental illness from the

sensational to the supportive. Rabin Strategic

Partners created a two and

one-half day colloquium at the Columbia Graduate

School of Journalism that

allowed journalists new to mental health

reporting to learn from

established reporters from such outlets as The

New York Times and The Wall

Street Journal. Scientists and advocates

participated in working sessions

held in the school's World Room, site of the

annual Pulitzer Prize

deliberations. The results were new story ideas

for coverage that could

make a difference in the lives of children with

mental illness and more

than 20 articles so far that incorporated

insights from these sessions. A

report of the colloquium proceedings was

distributed to more than 500

reporters and other interested parties. "

According to Brandweek, April 11, 2005

" There are two new hires at Rabin Strategic

Partners: A. Borgognoni

as partner and S. Hoppy as

communications associate. Borgognoni had

been at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Hoppy served as

assistant communications

director at Columbia University's Division of

Child and Adolescent

Psychiatry. "

*** AHRP obtained that report and uncovered the

$$ connection: " The

colloquium was sponsored by The Carmel Hill

Family Foundation and

unrestricted educational grants secured by the

Division of Child and

Adolescence Psychiatry from Janssen

Pharmaceutical Products, LP and

McNeilConsumer and Specialty Pharmaceuticals. "

Widmeyer Communications

Columbia University Division of Child &

Adolescent Psychiatry

Overview

*

percent of teens

who commit suicide suffer from a treatable

mental illness, the vast

majority of parents, teachers and other adults

are unaware that there is a

problem. As a result, 60 to 80 percent of

adolescents with depression will

go undiagnosed and untreated.

* Columbia, through its TeenScreen program, had

already been

partnering with schools and communities across

the nation to implement

mental health screening programs for youths. It

also created Positive

Action for Teen Health - a national initiative

to provide every teen in

America with a voluntary " mental health

check-up. "

Communications Challenge

* Getting the word out to ensure that parents

and other key players

(educators, policymakers, the media, etc.) were

aware of the Teen Screen

program and the importance of mental health

screening.

Strategy

* Combining our extensive knowledge in

education; results-oriented

communications expertise; in-house research,

polling and design; and

advertising capabilities, Widmeyer

Communications devised a comprehensive

national public health campaign involving media

relations, partnership

development, research, public affairs and

advertising.

Tactics

http://www.widmeyer.com/wire/2004/07/volume_5_issue_1.html

* Convened a National Advisory Council to

provide third party

credibility. Members included former Iowa

Governor Terry Branstad, former

National Education Association President Bob

Chase, actress Patty Duke,

Nobel Laureate Dr. Kandel, A Beautiful Mind

author Sylvia Nasar, and

Today Show medical reporter Ian .

* Developed a website - www.TeenScreen.org - to

provide important

information about teen depression and suicide

risk.

* Conducted a national poll investigating

parent's attitudes toward

teen mental health issues.

* Implemented an aggressive media relations

effort to publicize the

Positive Action for Teen Health initiative and

its goals, including

separate press launches in New York City and

Washington, DC.

* Established partnerships with national

education associations to

secure the necessary support from the

professional community.

Results

* Nationwide coverage in key outlets including

The Washington Post,

The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, AP, Reuters,

more than 85 metropolitan

newspapers, CNN Headline News, and a number of

local TV affiliates in major

media markets.

* In the first four weeks following the media

launch, the site

recorded more than 300,000 page views - as many

in one month as for the

entire preceding year.

* Since the launch, Columbia University has

received over 1,000

requests for information on how to start a

screening program at the

community level.

* There are currently three bills pending in

Congress related to teen

mental health issues and six state governments

are implementing plans to

adopt statewide screening programs.

March 2004 Special Issue: Reaching Youth

with Important Messages

Research and Partnerships are Critical Elements

To Successful Social Marketing to Young People

Marketing to young people has always been a

sensitive topic. But as an

audience of 40 million with annual buying power

of $364 billion, teens and

" tweens " are important customers in the

marketplace of products and ideas.

For " social marketers " - namely organizations

and government agencies

striving to change behavior - three recent and

ongoing campaigns

demonstrate the powerful impact of sound

research and strategic

partnerships in achieving success.

Although the results make it look easy, it's

important to note that in each

of these three campaigns, the influential

messaging, creative tactics and

effective " calls-to-action " were not created

overnight. Those leading the

efforts have committed significant time and

energy to gain a deep

understanding of the unique perspectives of

target audiences - and have

wisely tapped the power of intermediaries to

reach and influence these

audiences.

For the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services (HHS), which worked

with Widmeyer Communications to create and

launch the " Take A Stand. Lend A

Hand. Stop Bullying Now! " campaign, this

research involved numerous focus

groups with young people and adults to

understand the true impact and scope

of bullying and a " Youth Expert Panel " that

provided firsthand insight on

every aspect of the campaign. To reach target

audiences, the campaign then

formed partnerships with more than 70 health,

safety, education and

faith-based organizations to determine which

types of outreach materials

would be most useful for adults who interact

with youth on various levels.

For Columbia University, which turned to the

firm to promote " TeenScreen " -

a national

effort to provide

every teen in America with a voluntary school

" mental health check-up " for

depression and mental illness - research was

carried out through a national

poll investigating attitudes about teen mental

health. This campaign team

also formed partnerships with national education

associations and a

National Advisory Council that includes Former

National Education

Association President Bob Chase, actress Patty

Duke, Nobel Laureate Dr.

Kendel, A Beautiful Mind author Sylvia

Nasar, former Iowa Governor

Terry Branstand and NPR's Jacki Lyden.

And for the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education

Network (GLSEN), ongoing

research is being conducted through Widmeyer's

Research & Polling division

to gain direct insight from teens about the

impact of anti-gay slurs in

schools. This information will undoubtedly be

useful in GLSEN's continuing

success with the Safe Schools Action Network,

which uses a remarkably savvy

Internet-based approach to ensure that

individuals from all walks of life

can instantly weigh in on policies, media

reports and special events that

impact the lives of young people

A quick look at all of these efforts reveals the

impact that can be created

by a broad array of innovative and creative

communications tactics. Log on

to HHS' " Take A Stand. Lend A Hand. Stop

Bullying Now! " Web site and you will

be drawn into suspenseful animated

" Webisodes " about young people

struggling to find the right response to

bullying in a modern middle

school. Conduct a news search about Columbia

TeenScreen and you can see

news stories from CNN, the Associated Press, The

Washington Post and more

than 90 newspapers and local TV affiliates. Talk

to hundreds of school

counselors about the work of GLSEN, and you'll

hear about nationwide

" special events " such as " No Name Calling Week "

and the " Day of Silence " in

which 200,000 young people in 2,000 schools take

a vow of silence to

protest discrimination against lesbian, gay,

bisexual and transgender

students in their schools.

For more information about these organizations

and campaigns, visit

, and www.glsen.org

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t & ct=res & cd=1 & url=http%

Widmeyer Communications was hired to put

together the PR campaign.

Tactics:

Convened a National Advisory Council to provide

third party credibility.

Members included former Iowa Governor Terry

Branstad, former National

Education Association President Bob Chase,

actress Patty Duke, Nobel

Laureate Dr. Kandel, A Beautiful Mind

author Sylvia Nasar, and Today

Show medical reporter Ian .

* Established partnerships with national

education associations to secure

the necessary support from the professional

community.

* Implemented an aggressive media relations

effort to publicize the

Positive Action for Teen Health initiative and

its goals, including

separate press launches in New York City and

Washington, DC.

AHRP's question to TeenScreen administrators &

the federal agency that

supports TeenScreen (Substance Abuse and Mental

Health Services

Administration (SAMHSA

3A//www.samhsa.gov/ & ei=0P4KRPbaHsa4arnmiKcC & sig2=_uBF9lr51P2ub9m1wxBDy

A

)

If the goal of TeenScreen is not to promote

increased use of psychotropic

drugs, why did TeenScreen hire high powered PR

firms whose business is to

create promotional campaigns to increase drug

sales for its

clients--manufacturers of psychotropic drugs?

Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav

212-595-8974

veracare@...

FAIR USE NOTICE

This email contains copyrighted material the use of which has not

always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am

making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding

of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy,

scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted

material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In

accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this

email is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a

prior interest in receiving the included information

for research and educational purposes. For more information go to:

If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes

of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission

from the copyright owner.

_______________________________________________

March 12, 2006

ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION (AHRP)

Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, and

Accountability

http://ahrp.org/children/mentalscreen/LillyCheck.jpg

FYI

Screening for Mental Health, Inc, a " non-profit "

corporation affiliated

with Harvard University--McLean Hospital claims

to screen for " Signs of

Suicide " --

The photo below is from the Belmont

Citizen-Herald. It shows officials of

Screening for Mental Health accepting a $500,000

check from Eli Lilly --a

small investment for the billions the company

stands to gain from mental

screening leading to increased prescriptions.

(If your e-mail program does

not allow graphics, See the photo at:

Listed below the

picture is SMH board of directors and their

affiliations.

Screening for Mental Health has competition from

Columbia University's

TeenScreen--it promises to " catch them before

they fall. "

Both are obvious pharmaceutical market expansion

gimmicks. They pretend to

be " life saving " suicide prevention tools, but

their tactics are as

loathsome as --as valid as commercially

motivated as snake oil sales

pitches of yesteryear. In fact, there is no

evidence of any valid suicide

prevention tool. See:

http://www.ahrp.org/children/teenscreen/debateNAS0206.ppt

The sophisticated promotional campaign for

TeenScreen is orchestrated and

managed by powerful PR firms--Rabin Strategic

Partners with

Communications, and Widmeyer Communications.

Their clients--you guessed

it--are Big Pharma companies. See below.

Widmeyer Communication: " Marketing to young

people has always been a

sensitive topic. But as an audience of 40

million with annual buying power

of $364 billion, teens and " tweens " are

important customers in the

marketplace of products and ideas. For " social

marketers " - namely

organizations and government agencies striving

to change behavior - three

recent and ongoing campaigns demonstrate the

powerful impact of sound

research and strategic partnerships in achieving

success. "

As Dr. Gosden and Dr. Sharon Beder

report, " The development of

political agenda-setting through the use of

sophisticated public relations

techniques is threatening to undermine the

delicate balance of

representative democracy. " (The two authors are

highly respected Australian

authors and academics who have written numerous

books and peer reviewed

articles)

See: 'Pharmaceutical Industry Agenda Setting in

Mental Health Policies',

Ethical Human Sciences and Services,

Fall/Winter 2001, 3(3):147-159.

http://homepage.mac.com/herinst/sbeder/pharm-agenda.html.

SCREENING FOR MENTAL HEALTH Board of Directors

http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/about/board.aspx

Ross Baldessarini, M.D.

Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Senior Consulting Psychiatrist, Massachusetts

General Hospital

Director at McLean Hospital of:

Bipolar & Psychotic Disorders Program

International Consortium for Bipolar Disorder

Research

Laboratories for Psychiatric Research

Psychopharmacology Program McLean Hospital

Belmont, MA

Leonard Freedberg, M.D.

Newton-Wellesley Psychiatry Newton, MA

G. s, M.D.

Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry,

Harvard Medical School

Executive Director, Screening For Mental Health

Wellesley, MA

Jerrold Rosenbaum, M.D.

Chief of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General

Hospital

Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

President and Executive Director, The Mood and

Anxiety Disorders Unit at

Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA

Henry Scully Jr., M.D.

Medical Director, American Psychiatric

Association, Arlington, VA

Alan Weinstein

Vice President, Fixed Income Division, Fidelity

Investments Wellesley, MA

Myrna Weissman, Ph.D.

Professor of Epidemiology & Psychiatry, College

of Physicians & Surgeons of

Columbia University New York, NY

~~~~~~~~~

TeenScreen PR firms: Rabin Strategic Partners

Steve Rabin, head of TeenScreen's PR firm, is

an expert on the art of

forming advocacy partnerships. More recently,

Rabin has been applying his

skills in partnership formation with the giant

PR conglomerate

Communications Worldwide.

Dr. Gosden and Sharon Beder, wrote: " The

public relations industry

often refers to front groups euphemistically as

" partners " . Steve Rabin, a

former executive vice president/general manager

of Porter/Novelli, is an

expert on the art of forming advocacy

partnerships. According to Rabin

Rabin has been applying his skills in

partnership formation with the giant

PR conglomerate Communications Worldwide.

's client list

includes Abbott Laboratories, AstraZeneca,

Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli

Lilly, Glaxo Wellcombe, Hoffman-La Roche,

Janssen-Cilag,, Lundbeck,

Novartis, Pfizer, Kline Beecham,

Wyeth-Ayerst International, together

with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill

NAMI). (

Communications Worldwide, 2001).

Rabin's Services Include:

Global monitoring of governments, the media, the

marketplace, the web,

advocacy groups, and internal audiences to

identify trends and seize

opportunities.

They have provided strategic partner services

for:

* Columbia University

* Janssen Pharmaceutica

* &

* & /Merck

* McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals

" Beyond the Boardroom: Applying Proven Business

Practices to Public Health

Communication

Monday, April 25, 2005 4:30PM and 6:30PM Emory

University

The inaugural lecture, Can Health Really Be

Marketed Like Toothpaste?

will be presented by Steve Rabin, president of

Rabin Strategic Partners

lecture will include an

insightful, provocative, critical, and inspiring

discussion about the

similarities and differences between consumer

marketing and public health

communications. Not just for communication

professionals, Rabin's

presentation will help all public health

practitioners better understand

such foreign topics as marketing, issues

management, public affairs, and

enterprise-wide communications. See:

http://www.widmeyer.com/archives/2004/08/columbia_univer_1.php

Case Study: DIRECT-TO-PATIENT ADVERTISING:

Stopping a Bad Bill in Its

Tracks

" Our client, one of the nation's largest

publishers of free, consumer

health information, faced a tremendous threat. A

member of the California

Senate introduced an anti-advertising bill that

would ban sponsored

direct-to-patient health newsletters.

Working under a pressing legislative deadline,

Rabin Strategic Partners

quickly developed our client's outreach

strategy. We outlined the issue

and communicated it to key stakeholders. We then

went on to build a strong

and diverse coalition opposed to the legislation

of consumer and patient

groups, medical societies and organizations

protecting underserved

populations. These groups were strategically

recruited from the local

districts of key members of the

California Senate and Assembly.

Rabin Strategic Partners also developed and

disseminated key messages to

potential coalition members, members of the

state legislature and the

Schwarzenegger administration.

Strong momentum built against the bill and

highlighted that it actually

would thwart patient information. In the end

the bill's sponsor withdrew

it from consideration. "

Case Study: MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-UPS FOR TEENS: A

Ten-Year Strategy and a

Daily Responsibility:

" After a decade of extensive research, Columbia

University perfected a

simple questionnaire for teens that finds those

at risk of suicide and

suffering from unidentified mental illness, such

as depression. The big

question - how to offer a voluntary, mental

health check-up to every

American teenager before leaving high school?

Rabin Strategic Partners started to answer this

question three years ago.

We provided Columbia University with a ten-year

strategy including the

marketing, public policy and funding steps

needed to launch the program

nationally. Rabin Strategic Partners developed

and managed public

relations, lobbying and advertising to implement

the plan. Now on a daily

basis we track the media and political landscape

to make sure the plan

meshes with the current environment.

So far the strategy is paying off. Programs are

established in almost 500

communities in 42 states and over 250 sites are

in development. Thirty

four national organizations support voluntary,

mental health check-ups for

teens. Just recently federal grants were

awarded to four states to

implement the program as part of their overall

suicide prevention efforts. "

Case Study: COLUMBIA GRADUATE SCHOOL OF

JOURNALISM: Creating Coverage that

Makes a Difference

" Our client wanted to help move media coverage

of mental illness from the

sensational to the supportive. Rabin Strategic

Partners created a two and

one-half day colloquium at the Columbia Graduate

School of Journalism that

allowed journalists new to mental health

reporting to learn from

established reporters from such outlets as The

New York Times and The Wall

Street Journal. Scientists and advocates

participated in working sessions

held in the school's World Room, site of the

annual Pulitzer Prize

deliberations. The results were new story ideas

for coverage that could

make a difference in the lives of children with

mental illness and more

than 20 articles so far that incorporated

insights from these sessions. A

report of the colloquium proceedings was

distributed to more than 500

reporters and other interested parties. "

According to Brandweek, April 11, 2005

" There are two new hires at Rabin Strategic

Partners: A. Borgognoni

as partner and S. Hoppy as

communications associate. Borgognoni had

been at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Hoppy served as

assistant communications

director at Columbia University's Division of

Child and Adolescent

Psychiatry. "

*** AHRP obtained that report and uncovered the

$$ connection: " The

colloquium was sponsored by The Carmel Hill

Family Foundation and

unrestricted educational grants secured by the

Division of Child and

Adolescence Psychiatry from Janssen

Pharmaceutical Products, LP and

McNeilConsumer and Specialty Pharmaceuticals. "

Widmeyer Communications

Columbia University Division of Child &

Adolescent Psychiatry

Overview

*

percent of teens

who commit suicide suffer from a treatable

mental illness, the vast

majority of parents, teachers and other adults

are unaware that there is a

problem. As a result, 60 to 80 percent of

adolescents with depression will

go undiagnosed and untreated.

* Columbia, through its TeenScreen program, had

already been

partnering with schools and communities across

the nation to implement

mental health screening programs for youths. It

also created Positive

Action for Teen Health - a national initiative

to provide every teen in

America with a voluntary " mental health

check-up. "

Communications Challenge

* Getting the word out to ensure that parents

and other key players

(educators, policymakers, the media, etc.) were

aware of the Teen Screen

program and the importance of mental health

screening.

Strategy

* Combining our extensive knowledge in

education; results-oriented

communications expertise; in-house research,

polling and design; and

advertising capabilities, Widmeyer

Communications devised a comprehensive

national public health campaign involving media

relations, partnership

development, research, public affairs and

advertising.

Tactics

http://www.widmeyer.com/wire/2004/07/volume_5_issue_1.html

* Convened a National Advisory Council to

provide third party

credibility. Members included former Iowa

Governor Terry Branstad, former

National Education Association President Bob

Chase, actress Patty Duke,

Nobel Laureate Dr. Kandel, A Beautiful Mind

author Sylvia Nasar, and

Today Show medical reporter Ian .

* Developed a website - www.TeenScreen.org - to

provide important

information about teen depression and suicide

risk.

* Conducted a national poll investigating

parent's attitudes toward

teen mental health issues.

* Implemented an aggressive media relations

effort to publicize the

Positive Action for Teen Health initiative and

its goals, including

separate press launches in New York City and

Washington, DC.

* Established partnerships with national

education associations to

secure the necessary support from the

professional community.

Results

* Nationwide coverage in key outlets including

The Washington Post,

The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, AP, Reuters,

more than 85 metropolitan

newspapers, CNN Headline News, and a number of

local TV affiliates in major

media markets.

* In the first four weeks following the media

launch, the site

recorded more than 300,000 page views - as many

in one month as for the

entire preceding year.

* Since the launch, Columbia University has

received over 1,000

requests for information on how to start a

screening program at the

community level.

* There are currently three bills pending in

Congress related to teen

mental health issues and six state governments

are implementing plans to

adopt statewide screening programs.

March 2004 Special Issue: Reaching Youth

with Important Messages

Research and Partnerships are Critical Elements

To Successful Social Marketing to Young People

Marketing to young people has always been a

sensitive topic. But as an

audience of 40 million with annual buying power

of $364 billion, teens and

" tweens " are important customers in the

marketplace of products and ideas.

For " social marketers " - namely organizations

and government agencies

striving to change behavior - three recent and

ongoing campaigns

demonstrate the powerful impact of sound

research and strategic

partnerships in achieving success.

Although the results make it look easy, it's

important to note that in each

of these three campaigns, the influential

messaging, creative tactics and

effective " calls-to-action " were not created

overnight. Those leading the

efforts have committed significant time and

energy to gain a deep

understanding of the unique perspectives of

target audiences - and have

wisely tapped the power of intermediaries to

reach and influence these

audiences.

For the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services (HHS), which worked

with Widmeyer Communications to create and

launch the " Take A Stand. Lend A

Hand. Stop Bullying Now! " campaign, this

research involved numerous focus

groups with young people and adults to

understand the true impact and scope

of bullying and a " Youth Expert Panel " that

provided firsthand insight on

every aspect of the campaign. To reach target

audiences, the campaign then

formed partnerships with more than 70 health,

safety, education and

faith-based organizations to determine which

types of outreach materials

would be most useful for adults who interact

with youth on various levels.

For Columbia University, which turned to the

firm to promote " TeenScreen " -

a national

effort to provide

every teen in America with a voluntary school

" mental health check-up " for

depression and mental illness - research was

carried out through a national

poll investigating attitudes about teen mental

health. This campaign team

also formed partnerships with national education

associations and a

National Advisory Council that includes Former

National Education

Association President Bob Chase, actress Patty

Duke, Nobel Laureate Dr.

Kendel, A Beautiful Mind author Sylvia

Nasar, former Iowa Governor

Terry Branstand and NPR's Jacki Lyden.

And for the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education

Network (GLSEN), ongoing

research is being conducted through Widmeyer's

Research & Polling division

to gain direct insight from teens about the

impact of anti-gay slurs in

schools. This information will undoubtedly be

useful in GLSEN's continuing

success with the Safe Schools Action Network,

which uses a remarkably savvy

Internet-based approach to ensure that

individuals from all walks of life

can instantly weigh in on policies, media

reports and special events that

impact the lives of young people

A quick look at all of these efforts reveals the

impact that can be created

by a broad array of innovative and creative

communications tactics. Log on

to HHS' " Take A Stand. Lend A Hand. Stop

Bullying Now! " Web site and you will

be drawn into suspenseful animated

" Webisodes " about young people

struggling to find the right response to

bullying in a modern middle

school. Conduct a news search about Columbia

TeenScreen and you can see

news stories from CNN, the Associated Press, The

Washington Post and more

than 90 newspapers and local TV affiliates. Talk

to hundreds of school

counselors about the work of GLSEN, and you'll

hear about nationwide

" special events " such as " No Name Calling Week "

and the " Day of Silence " in

which 200,000 young people in 2,000 schools take

a vow of silence to

protest discrimination against lesbian, gay,

bisexual and transgender

students in their schools.

For more information about these organizations

and campaigns, visit

, and www.glsen.org

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t & ct=res & cd=1 & url=http%

Widmeyer Communications was hired to put

together the PR campaign.

Tactics:

Convened a National Advisory Council to provide

third party credibility.

Members included former Iowa Governor Terry

Branstad, former National

Education Association President Bob Chase,

actress Patty Duke, Nobel

Laureate Dr. Kandel, A Beautiful Mind

author Sylvia Nasar, and Today

Show medical reporter Ian .

* Established partnerships with national

education associations to secure

the necessary support from the professional

community.

* Implemented an aggressive media relations

effort to publicize the

Positive Action for Teen Health initiative and

its goals, including

separate press launches in New York City and

Washington, DC.

AHRP's question to TeenScreen administrators &

the federal agency that

supports TeenScreen (Substance Abuse and Mental

Health Services

Administration (SAMHSA

3A//www.samhsa.gov/ & ei=0P4KRPbaHsa4arnmiKcC & sig2=_uBF9lr51P2ub9m1wxBDy

A

)

If the goal of TeenScreen is not to promote

increased use of psychotropic

drugs, why did TeenScreen hire high powered PR

firms whose business is to

create promotional campaigns to increase drug

sales for its

clients--manufacturers of psychotropic drugs?

Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav

212-595-8974

veracare@...

FAIR USE NOTICE

This email contains copyrighted material the use of which has not

always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am

making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding

of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy,

scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted

material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In

accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this

email is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a

prior interest in receiving the included information

for research and educational purposes. For more information go to:

If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes

of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission

from the copyright owner.

_______________________________________________

March 12, 2006

ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION (AHRP)

Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, and

Accountability

http://ahrp.org/children/mentalscreen/LillyCheck.jpg

FYI

Screening for Mental Health, Inc, a " non-profit "

corporation affiliated

with Harvard University--McLean Hospital claims

to screen for " Signs of

Suicide " --

The photo below is from the Belmont

Citizen-Herald. It shows officials of

Screening for Mental Health accepting a $500,000

check from Eli Lilly --a

small investment for the billions the company

stands to gain from mental

screening leading to increased prescriptions.

(If your e-mail program does

not allow graphics, See the photo at:

Listed below the

picture is SMH board of directors and their

affiliations.

Screening for Mental Health has competition from

Columbia University's

TeenScreen--it promises to " catch them before

they fall. "

Both are obvious pharmaceutical market expansion

gimmicks. They pretend to

be " life saving " suicide prevention tools, but

their tactics are as

loathsome as --as valid as commercially

motivated as snake oil sales

pitches of yesteryear. In fact, there is no

evidence of any valid suicide

prevention tool. See:

http://www.ahrp.org/children/teenscreen/debateNAS0206.ppt

The sophisticated promotional campaign for

TeenScreen is orchestrated and

managed by powerful PR firms--Rabin Strategic

Partners with

Communications, and Widmeyer Communications.

Their clients--you guessed

it--are Big Pharma companies. See below.

Widmeyer Communication: " Marketing to young

people has always been a

sensitive topic. But as an audience of 40

million with annual buying power

of $364 billion, teens and " tweens " are

important customers in the

marketplace of products and ideas. For " social

marketers " - namely

organizations and government agencies striving

to change behavior - three

recent and ongoing campaigns demonstrate the

powerful impact of sound

research and strategic partnerships in achieving

success. "

As Dr. Gosden and Dr. Sharon Beder

report, " The development of

political agenda-setting through the use of

sophisticated public relations

techniques is threatening to undermine the

delicate balance of

representative democracy. " (The two authors are

highly respected Australian

authors and academics who have written numerous

books and peer reviewed

articles)

See: 'Pharmaceutical Industry Agenda Setting in

Mental Health Policies',

Ethical Human Sciences and Services,

Fall/Winter 2001, 3(3):147-159.

http://homepage.mac.com/herinst/sbeder/pharm-agenda.html.

SCREENING FOR MENTAL HEALTH Board of Directors

http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/about/board.aspx

Ross Baldessarini, M.D.

Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Senior Consulting Psychiatrist, Massachusetts

General Hospital

Director at McLean Hospital of:

Bipolar & Psychotic Disorders Program

International Consortium for Bipolar Disorder

Research

Laboratories for Psychiatric Research

Psychopharmacology Program McLean Hospital

Belmont, MA

Leonard Freedberg, M.D.

Newton-Wellesley Psychiatry Newton, MA

G. s, M.D.

Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry,

Harvard Medical School

Executive Director, Screening For Mental Health

Wellesley, MA

Jerrold Rosenbaum, M.D.

Chief of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General

Hospital

Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

President and Executive Director, The Mood and

Anxiety Disorders Unit at

Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA

Henry Scully Jr., M.D.

Medical Director, American Psychiatric

Association, Arlington, VA

Alan Weinstein

Vice President, Fixed Income Division, Fidelity

Investments Wellesley, MA

Myrna Weissman, Ph.D.

Professor of Epidemiology & Psychiatry, College

of Physicians & Surgeons of

Columbia University New York, NY

~~~~~~~~~

TeenScreen PR firms: Rabin Strategic Partners

Steve Rabin, head of TeenScreen's PR firm, is

an expert on the art of

forming advocacy partnerships. More recently,

Rabin has been applying his

skills in partnership formation with the giant

PR conglomerate

Communications Worldwide.

Dr. Gosden and Sharon Beder, wrote: " The

public relations industry

often refers to front groups euphemistically as

" partners " . Steve Rabin, a

former executive vice president/general manager

of Porter/Novelli, is an

expert on the art of forming advocacy

partnerships. According to Rabin

Rabin has been applying his skills in

partnership formation with the giant

PR conglomerate Communications Worldwide.

's client list

includes Abbott Laboratories, AstraZeneca,

Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli

Lilly, Glaxo Wellcombe, Hoffman-La Roche,

Janssen-Cilag,, Lundbeck,

Novartis, Pfizer, Kline Beecham,

Wyeth-Ayerst International, together

with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill

NAMI). (

Communications Worldwide, 2001).

Rabin's Services Include:

Global monitoring of governments, the media, the

marketplace, the web,

advocacy groups, and internal audiences to

identify trends and seize

opportunities.

They have provided strategic partner services

for:

* Columbia University

* Janssen Pharmaceutica

* &

* & /Merck

* McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals

" Beyond the Boardroom: Applying Proven Business

Practices to Public Health

Communication

Monday, April 25, 2005 4:30PM and 6:30PM Emory

University

The inaugural lecture, Can Health Really Be

Marketed Like Toothpaste?

will be presented by Steve Rabin, president of

Rabin Strategic Partners

lecture will include an

insightful, provocative, critical, and inspiring

discussion about the

similarities and differences between consumer

marketing and public health

communications. Not just for communication

professionals, Rabin's

presentation will help all public health

practitioners better understand

such foreign topics as marketing, issues

management, public affairs, and

enterprise-wide communications. See:

http://www.widmeyer.com/archives/2004/08/columbia_univer_1.php

Case Study: DIRECT-TO-PATIENT ADVERTISING:

Stopping a Bad Bill in Its

Tracks

" Our client, one of the nation's largest

publishers of free, consumer

health information, faced a tremendous threat. A

member of the California

Senate introduced an anti-advertising bill that

would ban sponsored

direct-to-patient health newsletters.

Working under a pressing legislative deadline,

Rabin Strategic Partners

quickly developed our client's outreach

strategy. We outlined the issue

and communicated it to key stakeholders. We then

went on to build a strong

and diverse coalition opposed to the legislation

of consumer and patient

groups, medical societies and organizations

protecting underserved

populations. These groups were strategically

recruited from the local

districts of key members of the

California Senate and Assembly.

Rabin Strategic Partners also developed and

disseminated key messages to

potential coalition members, members of the

state legislature and the

Schwarzenegger administration.

Strong momentum built against the bill and

highlighted that it actually

would thwart patient information. In the end

the bill's sponsor withdrew

it from consideration. "

Case Study: MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-UPS FOR TEENS: A

Ten-Year Strategy and a

Daily Responsibility:

" After a decade of extensive research, Columbia

University perfected a

simple questionnaire for teens that finds those

at risk of suicide and

suffering from unidentified mental illness, such

as depression. The big

question - how to offer a voluntary, mental

health check-up to every

American teenager before leaving high school?

Rabin Strategic Partners started to answer this

question three years ago.

We provided Columbia University with a ten-year

strategy including the

marketing, public policy and funding steps

needed to launch the program

nationally. Rabin Strategic Partners developed

and managed public

relations, lobbying and advertising to implement

the plan. Now on a daily

basis we track the media and political landscape

to make sure the plan

meshes with the current environment.

So far the strategy is paying off. Programs are

established in almost 500

communities in 42 states and over 250 sites are

in development. Thirty

four national organizations support voluntary,

mental health check-ups for

teens. Just recently federal grants were

awarded to four states to

implement the program as part of their overall

suicide prevention efforts. "

Case Study: COLUMBIA GRADUATE SCHOOL OF

JOURNALISM: Creating Coverage that

Makes a Difference

" Our client wanted to help move media coverage

of mental illness from the

sensational to the supportive. Rabin Strategic

Partners created a two and

one-half day colloquium at the Columbia Graduate

School of Journalism that

allowed journalists new to mental health

reporting to learn from

established reporters from such outlets as The

New York Times and The Wall

Street Journal. Scientists and advocates

participated in working sessions

held in the school's World Room, site of the

annual Pulitzer Prize

deliberations. The results were new story ideas

for coverage that could

make a difference in the lives of children with

mental illness and more

than 20 articles so far that incorporated

insights from these sessions. A

report of the colloquium proceedings was

distributed to more than 500

reporters and other interested parties. "

According to Brandweek, April 11, 2005

" There are two new hires at Rabin Strategic

Partners: A. Borgognoni

as partner and S. Hoppy as

communications associate. Borgognoni had

been at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Hoppy served as

assistant communications

director at Columbia University's Division of

Child and Adolescent

Psychiatry. "

*** AHRP obtained that report and uncovered the

$$ connection: " The

colloquium was sponsored by The Carmel Hill

Family Foundation and

unrestricted educational grants secured by the

Division of Child and

Adolescence Psychiatry from Janssen

Pharmaceutical Products, LP and

McNeilConsumer and Specialty Pharmaceuticals. "

Widmeyer Communications

Columbia University Division of Child &

Adolescent Psychiatry

Overview

*

percent of teens

who commit suicide suffer from a treatable

mental illness, the vast

majority of parents, teachers and other adults

are unaware that there is a

problem. As a result, 60 to 80 percent of

adolescents with depression will

go undiagnosed and untreated.

* Columbia, through its TeenScreen program, had

already been

partnering with schools and communities across

the nation to implement

mental health screening programs for youths. It

also created Positive

Action for Teen Health - a national initiative

to provide every teen in

America with a voluntary " mental health

check-up. "

Communications Challenge

* Getting the word out to ensure that parents

and other key players

(educators, policymakers, the media, etc.) were

aware of the Teen Screen

program and the importance of mental health

screening.

Strategy

* Combining our extensive knowledge in

education; results-oriented

communications expertise; in-house research,

polling and design; and

advertising capabilities, Widmeyer

Communications devised a comprehensive

national public health campaign involving media

relations, partnership

development, research, public affairs and

advertising.

Tactics

http://www.widmeyer.com/wire/2004/07/volume_5_issue_1.html

* Convened a National Advisory Council to

provide third party

credibility. Members included former Iowa

Governor Terry Branstad, former

National Education Association President Bob

Chase, actress Patty Duke,

Nobel Laureate Dr. Kandel, A Beautiful Mind

author Sylvia Nasar, and

Today Show medical reporter Ian .

* Developed a website - www.TeenScreen.org - to

provide important

information about teen depression and suicide

risk.

* Conducted a national poll investigating

parent's attitudes toward

teen mental health issues.

* Implemented an aggressive media relations

effort to publicize the

Positive Action for Teen Health initiative and

its goals, including

separate press launches in New York City and

Washington, DC.

* Established partnerships with national

education associations to

secure the necessary support from the

professional community.

Results

* Nationwide coverage in key outlets including

The Washington Post,

The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, AP, Reuters,

more than 85 metropolitan

newspapers, CNN Headline News, and a number of

local TV affiliates in major

media markets.

* In the first four weeks following the media

launch, the site

recorded more than 300,000 page views - as many

in one month as for the

entire preceding year.

* Since the launch, Columbia University has

received over 1,000

requests for information on how to start a

screening program at the

community level.

* There are currently three bills pending in

Congress related to teen

mental health issues and six state governments

are implementing plans to

adopt statewide screening programs.

March 2004 Special Issue: Reaching Youth

with Important Messages

Research and Partnerships are Critical Elements

To Successful Social Marketing to Young People

Marketing to young people has always been a

sensitive topic. But as an

audience of 40 million with annual buying power

of $364 billion, teens and

" tweens " are important customers in the

marketplace of products and ideas.

For " social marketers " - namely organizations

and government agencies

striving to change behavior - three recent and

ongoing campaigns

demonstrate the powerful impact of sound

research and strategic

partnerships in achieving success.

Although the results make it look easy, it's

important to note that in each

of these three campaigns, the influential

messaging, creative tactics and

effective " calls-to-action " were not created

overnight. Those leading the

efforts have committed significant time and

energy to gain a deep

understanding of the unique perspectives of

target audiences - and have

wisely tapped the power of intermediaries to

reach and influence these

audiences.

For the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services (HHS), which worked

with Widmeyer Communications to create and

launch the " Take A Stand. Lend A

Hand. Stop Bullying Now! " campaign, this

research involved numerous focus

groups with young people and adults to

understand the true impact and scope

of bullying and a " Youth Expert Panel " that

provided firsthand insight on

every aspect of the campaign. To reach target

audiences, the campaign then

formed partnerships with more than 70 health,

safety, education and

faith-based organizations to determine which

types of outreach materials

would be most useful for adults who interact

with youth on various levels.

For Columbia University, which turned to the

firm to promote " TeenScreen " -

a national

effort to provide

every teen in America with a voluntary school

" mental health check-up " for

depression and mental illness - research was

carried out through a national

poll investigating attitudes about teen mental

health. This campaign team

also formed partnerships with national education

associations and a

National Advisory Council that includes Former

National Education

Association President Bob Chase, actress Patty

Duke, Nobel Laureate Dr.

Kendel, A Beautiful Mind author Sylvia

Nasar, former Iowa Governor

Terry Branstand and NPR's Jacki Lyden.

And for the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education

Network (GLSEN), ongoing

research is being conducted through Widmeyer's

Research & Polling division

to gain direct insight from teens about the

impact of anti-gay slurs in

schools. This information will undoubtedly be

useful in GLSEN's continuing

success with the Safe Schools Action Network,

which uses a remarkably savvy

Internet-based approach to ensure that

individuals from all walks of life

can instantly weigh in on policies, media

reports and special events that

impact the lives of young people

A quick look at all of these efforts reveals the

impact that can be created

by a broad array of innovative and creative

communications tactics. Log on

to HHS' " Take A Stand. Lend A Hand. Stop

Bullying Now! " Web site and you will

be drawn into suspenseful animated

" Webisodes " about young people

struggling to find the right response to

bullying in a modern middle

school. Conduct a news search about Columbia

TeenScreen and you can see

news stories from CNN, the Associated Press, The

Washington Post and more

than 90 newspapers and local TV affiliates. Talk

to hundreds of school

counselors about the work of GLSEN, and you'll

hear about nationwide

" special events " such as " No Name Calling Week "

and the " Day of Silence " in

which 200,000 young people in 2,000 schools take

a vow of silence to

protest discrimination against lesbian, gay,

bisexual and transgender

students in their schools.

For more information about these organizations

and campaigns, visit

, and www.glsen.org

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t & ct=res & cd=1 & url=http%

Widmeyer Communications was hired to put

together the PR campaign.

Tactics:

Convened a National Advisory Council to provide

third party credibility.

Members included former Iowa Governor Terry

Branstad, former National

Education Association President Bob Chase,

actress Patty Duke, Nobel

Laureate Dr. Kandel, A Beautiful Mind

author Sylvia Nasar, and Today

Show medical reporter Ian .

* Established partnerships with national

education associations to secure

the necessary support from the professional

community.

* Implemented an aggressive media relations

effort to publicize the

Positive Action for Teen Health initiative and

its goals, including

separate press launches in New York City and

Washington, DC.

AHRP's question to TeenScreen administrators &

the federal agency that

supports TeenScreen (Substance Abuse and Mental

Health Services

Administration (SAMHSA

3A//www.samhsa.gov/ & ei=0P4KRPbaHsa4arnmiKcC & sig2=_uBF9lr51P2ub9m1wxBDy

A

)

If the goal of TeenScreen is not to promote

increased use of psychotropic

drugs, why did TeenScreen hire high powered PR

firms whose business is to

create promotional campaigns to increase drug

sales for its

clients--manufacturers of psychotropic drugs?

Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav

212-595-8974

veracare@...

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