Trending...
- Colorado: Governor Polis Meets with Small Business Owners, Discusses Devastating Impact of Trump Tariffs on Businesses and Coloradans
- Ironside HR Named Fastest-Growing Staffing Firm for Second Year
- Colorado Springs: Mayor Yemi issues statement following veto of Ordinance No. 25-59
An in-depth investigation is needed into taxpayer dollars spent on bizarre research of animals, fish and insects, in a failed attempt to understand human behavior and improve mental health, watchdog reports
LOS ANGELES - ColoradoDesk -- With government waste raising economic concerns for the country, the mental health industry watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) says it is time to demand accountability for the $40 billion of taxpayer dollars allocated to federal agencies, such as the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) to study fruit flies, mouse brains, zebrafish, Siberian hamsters, Russian cats, and other animal groups, purportedly to address mental health issues. Recent research reveals over $2.14 million was spent to study fruit fly brains.[1] A further $457,500 was allocated to study how early-life trauma affects brain development in zebrafish which may increase the risk of psychiatric disorders.[2] A $1,334,079 study is investigating the anatomical and structural organization of a healthy mouse brain and how it might regulate computation.[3]
Dr. Roger McFillin, Ph.D., who recently wrote "The Billion Dollar Brain Myth," says, "Since 2000, American taxpayers have bankrolled over $40 billion in NIMH's futile quest to reduce human suffering to faulty genes and brain circuits, yet suicide rates have soared" and "youth mental health collapsed." With research prioritizing the "biomedical model," he says, "the biological paradigm hasn't just failed—it has actively harmed by teaching people their suffering is a brain defect rather than a meaningful response to life experiences."[4]
For years, Senator Rand Paul has exposed research waste, including a study of Russian cats walking on treadmills.[5] In a 2021 Congressional speech, he condemned such "ridiculous" taxpayer-funded research, citing $1.6 million spent studying "Lizards on a Treadmill."[6] He also criticized $356,000 spent studying whether or not "Japanese quail are more sexually promiscuous on cocaine," commenting, "Common sense would have told us one that cocaine is probably not good for you and that cocaine might make you do things that you wouldn't have done otherwise had you not been on cocaine."[7]
More on Colorado Desk
The failure of such research was highlighted in a 2017 interview with Thomas Insel, a psychiatrist and former NIMH director, 2002-2015, who said: "I spent 13 years at NIMH really pushing on the neuroscience and genetics of mental disorders, and when I look back on that I realize that while I think I succeeded at getting lots of really cool papers published by cool scientists at fairly large costs—I think $20 billion—I don't think we moved the needle in reducing suicide, reducing hospitalizations, improving recovery for the tens of millions of people who have mental illness."[8]
Additionally, he conceded: "The United States, a country that leads the world in spending on medical research, also stands out for its dismal outcomes in people with mental illnesses. Indeed, over the last three decades, even as the government invested billions of dollars in better understanding the brain, by some measures, those outcomes have deteriorated."[9]
As an example, a 2011 government report found that just over one in 10 adults took prescription drugs for "problems with emotions, nerves or mental health," according to a JAMA study. In 2013, one in six (17%) of U.S. adults reported taking a psychiatric drug.[10] By 2021, it had escalated to one in four Americans over the age of 18 taking these drugs.[11] IQVia reported 70,307,316 adults aged 18 and above taking psychotropic drugs, and 6.1 million ages 0-17. Of the latter, there were 418,425 in the 0-5 age group.[12]
Since 1995, CCHR has been exposing bizarre psychiatric research. That year, CCHR's examination revealed that $20.3 million had been spent on 25 studies alone, which included budgerigars, crickets, rat pups, whiptail lizards, swamp fish, Siamese fighting fish, treefrogs, guinea pigs, and Siberian hamsters.
The research included a 31-year, near $11 million study of the effect of drugs on rats when they were "subjected to mild, persistent, inescapable stress," $1.5 million for a 21-year study of rat-pup behavior; a 21-year grant of $1.6 million to study the "electronic chirping" of electric fish; $875,382 on zebrafish and swamp sparrows; $333,000 for an 8 study of the sexual behavior of castrated quail and $200,000 on a 4-year study of sexual behavior of horses.
More on Colorado Desk
At that time Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, and a former legislative director for Congressman Hamilton Fish Jr. stated: "It's time to part the veil of secrecy and esoteric semantics surrounding some of the…grants and let taxpayers know what kind of wacky, even sinister science-fair experiments they're paying for."
The ongoing waste of taxpayer funds on questionable and ineffective research underscores the urgent need for accountability within the mental health sector. Despite billions of dollars spent, the lack of tangible improvements in public health, particularly in addressing mental health, demands a reevaluation of research priorities. Ensuring accountability is needed now more than ever, and CCHR remains committed to investigating and exposing wasteful mental health research.
CCHR was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and eminent psychiatrist, Professor Thomas Szasz, and has campaigned for transparency and accountability in the mental health field, and for patients' human rights, obtaining legislative support and laws enacting patient protections.
Sources:
[1] "Accelerating connectomic proofreading for larger brains and multiple individuals," NIH Project Number 1RF1MH129268-01
[2] "Determining the impact of early adversity on the developing vertebrate brain," NIH Project Number 1R15MH132057-01
[3] reporter.nih.gov/search/2rXC5XA9tEmWshK2IpYcWQ/project-details/10505417
[4] drmcfillin.substack.com/p/the-billion-dollar-brain-myth
[5] www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/reps/dr-paul-releases-2023-festivus-report-on-government-waste/
[6] www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2872317/lizards-on-a-treadmill-rand-paul-calls-out-wasteful-research-spending-with-colorful-props-on-senate-floor/
[7] wjla.com/news/nation-world/spending-money-studying-quails-on-cocaine-is-waste-of-government-spending-says-rand-paul
[8] psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ps.202000739
[9] lifeprocessprogram.com/american-psychiatry-misled-the-world/
[10] www.scientificamerican.com/article/1-in-6-americans-takes-a-psychiatric-drug/
[11] quotewizard.com/news/mental-health-prescriptions
[12] www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/people-taking-psychiatric-drugs/
Dr. Roger McFillin, Ph.D., who recently wrote "The Billion Dollar Brain Myth," says, "Since 2000, American taxpayers have bankrolled over $40 billion in NIMH's futile quest to reduce human suffering to faulty genes and brain circuits, yet suicide rates have soared" and "youth mental health collapsed." With research prioritizing the "biomedical model," he says, "the biological paradigm hasn't just failed—it has actively harmed by teaching people their suffering is a brain defect rather than a meaningful response to life experiences."[4]
For years, Senator Rand Paul has exposed research waste, including a study of Russian cats walking on treadmills.[5] In a 2021 Congressional speech, he condemned such "ridiculous" taxpayer-funded research, citing $1.6 million spent studying "Lizards on a Treadmill."[6] He also criticized $356,000 spent studying whether or not "Japanese quail are more sexually promiscuous on cocaine," commenting, "Common sense would have told us one that cocaine is probably not good for you and that cocaine might make you do things that you wouldn't have done otherwise had you not been on cocaine."[7]
More on Colorado Desk
- Colorado Springs: North Cheyenne Canyon Road to reopen Friday
- USA Batteries: Powering Your Devices with Reliable, Affordable Solutions Since 2009
- Colorado: Governor Polis, Governors Call on Department of Education Not to Rip Funding Away from American Students and Educators
- Exelon Leader Tamla Olivier Named 2025 Technologist of the Year by Waves of Change STEM Conference
- Be Part of the World's Largest Art Biennale | Moons, Castles, Trees | Copenhagen Chronotopes
The failure of such research was highlighted in a 2017 interview with Thomas Insel, a psychiatrist and former NIMH director, 2002-2015, who said: "I spent 13 years at NIMH really pushing on the neuroscience and genetics of mental disorders, and when I look back on that I realize that while I think I succeeded at getting lots of really cool papers published by cool scientists at fairly large costs—I think $20 billion—I don't think we moved the needle in reducing suicide, reducing hospitalizations, improving recovery for the tens of millions of people who have mental illness."[8]
Additionally, he conceded: "The United States, a country that leads the world in spending on medical research, also stands out for its dismal outcomes in people with mental illnesses. Indeed, over the last three decades, even as the government invested billions of dollars in better understanding the brain, by some measures, those outcomes have deteriorated."[9]
As an example, a 2011 government report found that just over one in 10 adults took prescription drugs for "problems with emotions, nerves or mental health," according to a JAMA study. In 2013, one in six (17%) of U.S. adults reported taking a psychiatric drug.[10] By 2021, it had escalated to one in four Americans over the age of 18 taking these drugs.[11] IQVia reported 70,307,316 adults aged 18 and above taking psychotropic drugs, and 6.1 million ages 0-17. Of the latter, there were 418,425 in the 0-5 age group.[12]
Since 1995, CCHR has been exposing bizarre psychiatric research. That year, CCHR's examination revealed that $20.3 million had been spent on 25 studies alone, which included budgerigars, crickets, rat pups, whiptail lizards, swamp fish, Siamese fighting fish, treefrogs, guinea pigs, and Siberian hamsters.
The research included a 31-year, near $11 million study of the effect of drugs on rats when they were "subjected to mild, persistent, inescapable stress," $1.5 million for a 21-year study of rat-pup behavior; a 21-year grant of $1.6 million to study the "electronic chirping" of electric fish; $875,382 on zebrafish and swamp sparrows; $333,000 for an 8 study of the sexual behavior of castrated quail and $200,000 on a 4-year study of sexual behavior of horses.
More on Colorado Desk
- SeedList Launching Institutional Crypto Crowdfunding Project to Empower Retail Investors and Disrupt the VC-Dominated Crypto Fundraising Landscape
- California Family Launches Billboard to Reach "Pardon Czar" Alice Marie Johnson
- Schofield & Green Law: A New Chapter of Trusted Representation Begins
- Rent Like A Champion Acquires CollegeWeekends
- Sumter Landing Dental Care Launches Summer Special on Full Mouth Reconstruction
At that time Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, and a former legislative director for Congressman Hamilton Fish Jr. stated: "It's time to part the veil of secrecy and esoteric semantics surrounding some of the…grants and let taxpayers know what kind of wacky, even sinister science-fair experiments they're paying for."
The ongoing waste of taxpayer funds on questionable and ineffective research underscores the urgent need for accountability within the mental health sector. Despite billions of dollars spent, the lack of tangible improvements in public health, particularly in addressing mental health, demands a reevaluation of research priorities. Ensuring accountability is needed now more than ever, and CCHR remains committed to investigating and exposing wasteful mental health research.
CCHR was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and eminent psychiatrist, Professor Thomas Szasz, and has campaigned for transparency and accountability in the mental health field, and for patients' human rights, obtaining legislative support and laws enacting patient protections.
Sources:
[1] "Accelerating connectomic proofreading for larger brains and multiple individuals," NIH Project Number 1RF1MH129268-01
[2] "Determining the impact of early adversity on the developing vertebrate brain," NIH Project Number 1R15MH132057-01
[3] reporter.nih.gov/search/2rXC5XA9tEmWshK2IpYcWQ/project-details/10505417
[4] drmcfillin.substack.com/p/the-billion-dollar-brain-myth
[5] www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/reps/dr-paul-releases-2023-festivus-report-on-government-waste/
[6] www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2872317/lizards-on-a-treadmill-rand-paul-calls-out-wasteful-research-spending-with-colorful-props-on-senate-floor/
[7] wjla.com/news/nation-world/spending-money-studying-quails-on-cocaine-is-waste-of-government-spending-says-rand-paul
[8] psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ps.202000739
[9] lifeprocessprogram.com/american-psychiatry-misled-the-world/
[10] www.scientificamerican.com/article/1-in-6-americans-takes-a-psychiatric-drug/
[11] quotewizard.com/news/mental-health-prescriptions
[12] www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/people-taking-psychiatric-drugs/
Source: Citizens Commission on Human Rights
Filed Under: Health, Government
0 Comments
Latest on Colorado Desk
- Chasing Elizabeth Taylor — The Dazzling True Story Behind the Queen of Diamonds Now Available in Limited-Edition Hardcover
- $53 Million Company Valuation Investment with Majority Acquisition Option, Plus New Stock CUSIP Supporting Brand Transition of Fan Engagement Company
- $14M Deal with Famed David Lloyd for Sports, Entertainment & Gaming, AI Powered Fan Engagement Company; New Stock CUSIP; Creating Shareholder Value
- Disposable Vape Ban Spurs Hayati Innovation
- Prolific Hollywood "Unknown Actor" Leads 11 Day SoCal, Hands-On, Performer Employment Securing Residency that Shows Others How to Get More Work
- Dr. Harmon Completes Prestigious Zygomatic Implant Residency in Brazil
- Agreement to Deliver Thin-Film Solar Technology to Space Solar Array Provider, NASA Collaborative Agreement for Orbital Applications in Power Beaming
- Iterators LLC Honored with IST82 State Award for Accessibility in Massachusetts
- Faex Health Explores Gut-Brain Connection: Could Your Stool Signal Early-Onset Alzheimer's?
- Josh & Heidi Share Upcoming "Spreading the Good BUZZ" Podcast Guests, Select Top Five Elopement Locations as Their Instagram Presence Grows Globally
- The heat is on: High 5 Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric offers tips to prevent AC breakdowns on summer's hottest days
- Opteamix Launches StackRewrite.AI to Transform Enterprise Legacy Modernization
- "The Pornified Generation": Dr. Chris Samuels Exposes the Toxic Alliance Between Bro Culture and Pornography That's Rewiring a Generation
- Colorado Springs: City Council Seeks Volunteers for the Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax (LART) Citizens' Advisory Committee
- Colorado Springs: Calling all photographers: Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services accepting submissions for annual calendar photo contest
- Celebrating Colorado's 150th Birthday: Governor Polis Announces Survey to Hear From Coloradans on Proposed Pedestrian Walkway at State Capitol and Sesquicentennial Activities
- The Modern Insurance Store Expands Medicare Help Services for Seniors in Cincinnati
- Ironside HR Named Fastest-Growing Staffing Firm for Second Year
- Inframark Continues to Build Its Community Management Capabilities and Multi-Disciplinary Presence in Arizona
- ICAST 2025: The Crystal-Clear Revolution Begins at Booth #3233