Policy on Mental Health Medications
The Mental Health Association of Oregon endorses the following set of principles in regard to mental health medications:
The Mental Health Association of Oregon is pro-choice in regard to the use of mental health medications. We also support the right of people with mental health disabilities to access what they and their prescribers decide are medically necessary and effective medications without being subjected to "fail first" policies, discriminatory or excessive copayments, or time-consuming prior authorization paperwork.
Mental health medication prescribers must be required to fully inform people regarding how each medication can safely and effectively be used. In particular, each person must be fully informed about a medication's side effects, its known interactions with other drugs, and the long-term consequences of using it. The Mental Health Association of Oregon also believes that people should have the right to be fully informed of non-drug treatment alternatives.
All those residing in the USA should be entitled to comprehensive health care services, including mental health medications, which are both affordable and accessible. There should be no arbitrary limits on prescription drug coverage for medications used to treat mental health disorders.
The Mental Health Association of Oregon opposes restrictive formularies on the grounds that they A) restrict access to medically necessary medications; B) fail to achieve their intended purpose of reducing costs; and, most importantly, C) prolong human suffering and reduce consumers' potential for full recovery.
Where restrictive formularies are in place, the Mental Health Association of Oregon believes that A) there should be no "fail first" policies that are not consistent with medical consensus; and B) prior authorization should be timely and efficient so as not to delay access to medication, nor to deter the prescriber from ordering medications that will have optimal benefits. The choice as whether or not to use a medication to treat mental health disorders is a personal decision that should be made by each individual and his or her prescriber.
For children up to age 18 with mental health disabilities, the Mental Health Association of Oregon recommends that non-prescribing educational system staff only make decisions in regard to evaluation for treatment and not on the need for treatment, especially on the issue of the use of mental health medications.
The Mental Health Association of Oregon reserves the right to accept funding from pharmaceutical companies with the clear understanding that such funding will never be allowed to effect the policy decisions of the Mental Health Association of Oregon.
Mental Health America of Oregon
Regional Research Institute
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751
503-725-5953 (voice)
503-725-4180 (fax)
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