However, contrary to popular belief, stimulants like methylphenidate will affect normal children and adults in the same manner they affect ADHD children. NAMI, however, is not the only group apparently being misled by the surgeon general s report. According to one staffer familiar with the legislation, Domenici s staff took the lead in writing it. The first of Congress findings states that almost 3 percent of the adult population, or 5 million individuals in the United States, suffer from a severe and persistent mental illness. When asked where Domenici got these figures, the same source explained that the numbers come from various federal agencies, various studies that have been conducted and the surgeon general s report.
Hyman is well-respected.
While it appears that Hyman s brain slide show has wowed a great many people, the fact is that even Hyman has contradicted his own presentation. Domenici s office did not respond to inquiries about whether the senator had received campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies. NAMI s Carolla openly admits that NAMI worked with the sponsors of the legislation, and one doesn t have to look too hard to see the similarities between the Senate bill and NAMI s proposed Omnibus Mental Illness Recovery Act, which Eli Lilly paid to print. This would allow service personnel such as firefighters, police officers and teachers to make referrals for mental-health treatment a difficult task given that each of these categories of personnel appears to have its hands full with jobs for which they already are trained. This would allow for the designation of a central receiving point in the community for individuals who may be cited by, say, a firefighter, to be in need of emergency mental-health services.