Mental health screenings in schools affects parental rights

[Nevada]

anyone else heard this

Mental Health Screening in Schools Signals the End of Parental Rights
Nancy Levant

In the 2005-2006 school year, all parents will receive written notice of new policies from your children’s schools. Many schools will ask you to sign permission slips, allowing school counselors or “advocates” to have conversations with your children. You will be told how your local schools are now involved in vision and dental screenings, learning disabilities and speech impediment screenings, and other acts of kindness, but watch for the small print or the extra little blurb, which states that your children will also be evaluated for emotional wellness. Watch for wording like “happiness indicators” or “family participation.”
The fact is that our president has mandated that every American child, age 3 through 18, is federally ordered to be evaluated for mental health issues and to receive “enforced” treatment. Welcome to President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative and New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Welcome to life-long profiling and drug addictions, New Freedom-style.

52 million students and six million adults working in schools, according to this commission, will be tested and should flush out at least 6 million people, or shall we say new customers, who will then be mandated to receive “treatment.” What treatment does our president’s commission have in mind? The newest drugs in the pharmaceutical pipelines, of course. The commission recommends “specific medications for specific conditions.”

One of the state-of-the-art treatments, and most expensive, is an implanted capsule – yes, that’s right, implanted. The capsule delivers medication into a child’s body without the child having to swallow a pill or the need for parental permission for dispensation.

The New Freedom Commission named the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP) a model treatment plan. Medical algorithms are a flowchart-style treatment indicator. If you have A symptom and B symptom, take C medication. TMAP began with the University of Texas, big pharma, and the mental health and corrections system in Texas. The American Psychiatric Association concurs that TMAP is brilliant.

However, the New Freedom Initiative and Commission is a political-big pharma marriage. Many companies who supported TMAP were also major contributors to Bush’s re-election funds. For example, Eli Lilly manufactures olanzapine - one of the drugs recommended in the New Freedom plan, and furthermore, George Herbert Walker Bush was once a member of Lilly’s board of directors. Our current President Bush appointed Lilly’s chief executive officer, Sidney Taurel, as a member of the Homeland Security Council. Eighty-two percent of Lilly’s $1.6 million in political contributions in 2000 went to Bush and the Republican Party. Do tell…

Texas Algorithm grossed over 4 billion dollars in 2003 and olanzapine is Eli Lilly's top selling drug. A 2003 New York Times article by Gardiner Harris claims that 70 percent of olanzapine sales are paid for by government agencies, such as Medicare and Medicaid. And lo and behold, guess who is now able to bill Medicaid for health services? Public schools, of course, as they are now under the big pharma-political profits/pay-back umbrella once they adopt screening policies. Public schools can now be paid to screen and drug your kids.

Now, if you ever wonder, ever again, if public-private partnerships care about people, then you need a brain transplant. Your children are now the legislated guinea pigs and lab rats for the pharmaceutical companies who bought and paid for our president’s campaign. Favors are now returned to those companies in the form of enforced, juvenile customers, their health, and their future drug addictions.

But wait, there is more. The New Freedom Commission also calls for enforced treatment. That means that parents have no rights to refuse the treatment recommenced by TMAP and other drug dispensing corporate-bureaucratic apparatuses. And as the mental health bureaucracy is also involved in this financial game of insidious cruelty, parents and families are also to be investigated via the result of their children’s screenings in schools. In other words, schools are now the across-the board, or shall I say nation, diagnostic tool for big pharma and child control.

And there’s more. The U.N. Agenda 21 has also called for total intrusion into schools and children lives. No more religion, no more individuality, no more real education, no more real grades, no more real teaching, no more teacher respect for parents, and no more truth from teachers or principals. This sounds very familiar and very political to me. And I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: if you are of a religious ilk and you refuse to allow your children to be abused by our “educational” system, the stage is being set for you to lose physical custody of your children. I suggest that you read this: Rethinking Orphanages for the 21st Century by Richard McKenzie, ed

Still got your kids in public schools? Shame on you, and may God bless your poor children and forgive you.

[Rhia]

Happily, Tori is currently in Montessori, starting Kindergarten in the fall.... and they just expanded to include 5th grade.... so I've got 6 years to figure out what to do next. *sigh*

[Eric McTavish]

Would'nt it be easer if the Gov just took the kids at school-age and trained them in education camps? That way the could weed out the undeseriables and teach the correct moral American virtues...

[Ysobelle]

I'd love to hear more about this from a somewhat less grossly opinionated source. I mean, yeah, it sounds horrendous, but I can't say I'm not totally against emotional screening for depression, OCD disorders, etc.

And I'm a little unclear about how schools are getting worse if you're religious. I mean, if you're Jewish, yeah. But if you're Christian, well, that's a whole 'nother story.

[Drea Beth]

I'd love to hear more about this from a somewhat less grossly opinionated source. I mean, yeah, it sounds horrendous, but I can't say I'm not totally against emotional screening for depression, OCD disorders, etc.

I'm with Nikki. I'd like to hear more. My first thought was how many teen suicides or school shootings could be prevented with something like this.

As a parent who has a child who has had many dealings with the mental health folks in school and with private counselors, I will say that never once has medication been suggested or thought of as an "easy out". Therapy, yes. I have been nothing but pleased with the quality of the mental healt professionals in our school district. They care about my child and have always been nothing but helpful . Maybe I'm lucky, or maybe the state of public education isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

[Lady Laurel]

This does sound more like someones political rant. There may be some facts that have been left out. I had heard of a bill that would give all children some kind of insurance. I cannot see where a law is going to get passed that a parent does not have the right to say no on giving thier children meds or second opinions.
I have heard of teachers being quick to say your child is ADD you need to put them on meds when they are a normal rambunctious child.
I don't understand where religion fits into all of this. I don't think it does.

[Jessa]

I think the stuff tossed in towards the end about religion is just the author's personal tangent, and I'm guessing was included because this was an opinion piece on a publication with a strongly religous audience.

Drea Beth, maybe you are lucky. When I was in school (graduated '98), many of my classmates had been diagnosed with mental illness, most commonly ADD. Most had been medicated for it at one point or another. A good friend of mine was bipolar, and her treatment actualy did help.

But, that was an exception. Most of these "ADD" kids were lacking in parental dicepline and involvement. One guy had tried the whole list of ADD drugs. Some helped him focus, but they all had side affects he disliked, such as making thinking in general slow and difficult, or physical symptoms. In the end, he and his parents found ways for him to be productive and stay out of trouble without chemical assitance. Kids often get doped because the parents can't deal with behavior that is within the relm of normal, but on the hyper side.

The shrinks are a part of this trend. Parents and/or educators claim the kid is unmanagable and demand they get counseling. The counselors just winding up handing out lithium, prozac and ritelin like candy, and everyone goes home "happy". Junior learns that drugs, not self discipline, are the road to success and happiness.

I know someone who go prozac because she told her general practitioner that she felt down, and wanted to try it. He just wrote he a prescription right there.

Sorry if this is getting a bit like a rant, but I see a huge overuse and abuse of mood alterting drugs and its disgusting. These drugs can and do help some people who really need them, but they are grossly over prescribed.

Being on some of these drugs can really change someone's whole personality, and some of them are also habit forming. This is NOT something you want to give a child/adolecent unless they have a serious need for it and will not be able to function well without it.

Also, government-ordered screenings for mental illness are more than a little scary, even without the manditory drug aspect. This information would end up as part of a permenent record on the patient, in a government database, and the commercial database of private contractors involved (drug companies, screening providers, etc). With the stigma attached to mental illness, testing positive on such a screening could set you up for being singled out for the rest of your life. Higher insurance, limited lob opportuneties to start with. Once a person is labeled as mentally ill, their competance can be questioned in numerous ways. They could even be denied basic rights and committed to a treatment facility.

Corrupt officials could use these screens and the resulting data to discredit rivals or have people committed on what would otherwise be shaky grounds.

Remember, the government is here to help, just like a big bother would...

[Rhia]

<snip>

But, that was an exception. Most of these "ADD" kids were lacking in parental dicepline and involvement. One guy had tried the whole list of ADD drugs. Some helped him focus, but they all had side affects he disliked, such as making thinking in general slow and difficult, or physical symptoms. In the end, he and his parents found ways for him to be productive and stay out of trouble without chemical assitance. Kids often get doped because the parents can't deal with behavior that is within the relm of normal, but on the hyper side.

The shrinks are a part of this trend. Parents and/or educators claim the kid is unmanagable and demand they get counseling. The counselors just winding up handing out lithium, prozac and ritelin like candy, and everyone goes home "happy". Junior learns that drugs, not self discipline, are the road to success and happiness.

I know someone who go prozac because she told her general practitioner that she felt down, and wanted to try it. He just wrote he a prescription right there.

Sorry if this is getting a bit like a rant, but I see a huge overuse and abuse of modd alterting drugs in my area its disgusting. These drugs can and do help some people who really need them, but they are grossly over prescribed.

Being on some of these drugs can really change someone's whole personality, and some of them are also habit forming. This is NOT something you want to give a child/adolecent unless they have a serious need for it and will not be able to function well without it.

<snip>

thank you
thank you
thank you

it frightens me how frequently the right pill is proposed as the solution...
kids need less phamaceuticals and more time on the playground to run off the energy - sure, some kids need help and sometiems that can mean monitored medication, but it seems lately, it's handed out with the booster shots!

Last summer I was horrified when my mother suggested I start taking her current pill "du jour" - some mood leveler.... when I asked her why, her answer came down to effectively because she and all her friends were taking it and they really liked it....

:shock:

no thank you
not for me and not for my daughter
she's got a lot of energy and curiosity and talks incessantly, but I'm not gonna put her on drugs so she'll be quiet for five minutes!

[Miracle Wench]

I would need more info.To pass any kind of judgement. It is something to watch out for.
Thanks

[Wolves Lady]

This went around the home school community last year and caused a huge uproar. When I went to the website for our state that outlined the bill, the requirements suggested for mental health testing were not really all that out of line, and it seemed like people where getting themselves worked up over a nothing. There is no requirement that children be "forced" into being drugged against their parents will, if I remember correctly, it does require the parent to seek proper treatment for a child with a mental disorder, but that requirement is not necessarily medication. To me thats a "DUH". I think it also states that the state is required to provide treatment if the parent is unable to, which relieves the family of a potential financial burden.

Unfortunately there is a number of very vocal anti-public schoolers that seem to feel like if your child is in public school you are exposing them to the antichrist, or big brother, take your pick. The writer seems to fall into that category. I can look up in my mail archieves the rest of the parts that go to this article, but I may end up ranting a bit!

[Wolves Lady]

it frightens me how frequently the right pill is proposed as the solution...
kids need less phamaceuticals and more time on the playground to run off the energy - sure, some kids need help and sometimes that can mean monitored medication, but it seems lately, it's handed out with the booster shots!

I agree! It scares me the number of parents who simply do not wish to spend the time paying attention to their children, or discipling them properly and teaching them how to behave. Parenting is hard work, and it seems like there are to many people out there who want to take the easy way out and dope their kids. Argh!

[Alianne]

Those of you who are on the 'we're tossing pills/diagnosing *every* kid with ADD' bandwagon should *really* do some research that isn't presented by your local tv station during sweeps week.

Recent studies by the NIH and NIMH show that ADD is actually *underdiagnosed*, especially in urban areas.

Schools *cannot* -- repeat: CANNOT order a child to take medication. Schools cannot diagnose *any* medical condition. A teacher or other school personnel can suggest to a parent that a child might benefit from evaluation based on what they observe, but that's it. Period, end of sentence. And they cannot force a child to use medication as part of a treatment plan.

There are very specific criteria that are used to, for example, diagnose ADD/ADHD. Doctors, despite what folks like the media, Peter Breggin and his ilk, and so on, are *not* inclined to toss meds at kids, even with a proper evaluation and diagnosis. And when medication is used, it's supposed to be part of an *overall* treatment plan.

Are there *some* doctors out there who might prescribe meds too soon, or without a complete evaluation? Probably. Are there parents looking for a quick fix? I'm sure. But you're using a really *huge* paint brush when you say 'doctors do this' or 'parents do that'.

Over the past 16-plus years, I've known more parents who were *reluctant* to use meds, to the point of costing their children years of appropriate treatment due to fear brought on by media hype.

But before y'all put on your Chicken Little suits, do some *real* research, think for yourselves and don't let popular media, or some 'specialist' who, if you look deeper, may be shilling some quackery of their own as a 'cure-all'.

I know we like sheep.......we don't have to *be* sheep.

[MaidMarion]

Also, government-ordered screenings for mental illness are more than a little scary, even without the manditory drug aspect. This information would end up as part of a permenent record on the patient, in a government database, and the commercial database of private contractors involved (drug companies, screening providers, etc). With the stigma attached to mental illness, testing positive on such a screening could set you up for being singled out for the rest of your life. Higher insurance, limited lob opportuneties to start with. Once a person is labeled as mentally ill, their competance can be questioned in numerous ways. They could even be denied basic rights and committed to a treatment facility.

Corrupt officials could use these screens and the resulting data to discredit rivals or have people committed on what would otherwise be shaky grounds.

Remember, the government is here to help, just like a big bother would...

I couldn't agree more.

I myself was in special ed when I was in school, and it's still on my record. The worst was basic training. when the Drill SGTs found out that I was un special ed, they ripped on my 24-7. Everytime I made a mistake: "we don't have any special classes for you here, you get it right or you'll be left out in the cold" "I'll bet your used to having people baby you"

When I was working at a radio station and some or the reporters called in from a game and I wrote the score down backwords and it was read on the air (OK, that was one of my really bad mistakes) but of corse a comment was made about "riding the little bus". It's sad.

*HUGS*

K.j.

[Eric McTavish]

Schools *cannot* -- repeat: CANNOT order a child to take medication. Schools cannot diagnose *any* medical condition. A teacher or other school personnel can suggest to a parent that a child might benefit from evaluation based on what they observe, but that's it. Period, end of sentence. And they cannot force a child to use medication as part of a treatment plan.

Ahh but here's the rub... the wording of this bill is such as it has the child diagnosed, the prescribed...then the parent is negligent if they do not give/get the medication prescribed by the physician, who works for the school...

funny if you dig deep enough you find that this bill is supported by companies like Psydo (who manufacture Adderall and Ritalin...) interesting eh?

[Lady Laurel]

Schools *cannot* -- repeat: CANNOT order a child to take medication. Schools cannot diagnose *any* medical condition. A teacher or other school personnel can suggest to a parent that a child might benefit from evaluation based on what they observe, but that's it. Period, end of sentence. And they cannot force a child to use medication as part of a treatment plan.

Yes but a teacher will refuse to teach the child unless there is some kind of resolution.
My syster who has been a social worker for 25 years sees this alot. She says that the doctor they take the child too 9 out of 10 times gives the child the drug. ( she says she has been told it is easier)
She said it is scary how many children out there are on mood altering drugs that don't need them.
FYI - when I tried to join the Navy 15 -16 years ago, they asked me if I had been on Riddelin, Lithium etc... when I was a child. I said no, then asked why, they said that if I had been it would have been an automatic no for joining. ( I couldn't anyway I have asthma they turned me down quick)
I don't know if that same protocal is used now but it is definately something do think about.

[Kae]

Ok - A couple of points/questions?

Does anyone know the name or number of the ruling so I can look it up. This has never come up in any of our school meetings or trainings, nor in any of the meetings for the kiddos school.
And they are right, it is illegal for any agent of the school to diagnos or insist upong medication. However; if they look at it as negligence - I see lawsuits in the future with a lot of families going through strife they don't need to.

As for the misdiagnosis of ADD>ADHD, this is also eroneous. I have been doing extensive study on the matter for personal as well as proffessional reasons. The actual misdiagnosis is with Asperger's Syndrome - many people with ADD/ADHD actually have Asperger's. Many doctors do not like to take the testing that far and will stop with the ADD/ADHD diagnosis. And based on the information in the school system - almost all are treated solelly with medication. I know that there are responsible parents out there who care for their children and do go through the proper testing and a wide variety of treatment to best help their children. However; as a teacher - I see a larger percentage who do not or who have just realized it will take more than medication to make their child a responsible member of society.


(Sorry about the rant)
Kae

[DameGoode]

Whoa! Kae!

How exactly can one confuse ADD/ADHD with Aspergers' or Autism? According to the DSM-4 (Psychologist diagnostic manuel) to have Asperger's you need to have the following criteria: 1. Poor social skills (ex. no eye contact, not understanding emotions like jealousy, not talking to students own age, etc)
2. Obsession or severe interest in a particular subject (Manga, cats (too many kids I know w/ this and are obsessed w/cats), turtles, trains, presidents of the US, skateboarding.)
3. Unable to speak in a socially appropriate tone (speak like a robot, speak sing-song, speak squeaky speak loud/soft) all the time!

Not much in there can be twisted to the average ADD/ADHD typical behavior. Although, we've many therapists that will try the other way around and try to convince us that these kids with ADD have Aspergers' (i'm dealing with one right now that has misdiagnosed 3 kids, because they came in at a time right after she when to a summit on Aspergers'. Coincidence?)

Please, please, please don't dismiss the meds because some one is making money off of it. We have parents taking kids off because of shame and kids refuse to take them because of shame. And normally bad things happen because of this. The best case I've had was the child began to wet his pants outside the school.

And finally I think the screens are a bad idea, because I know who will be taking the data and I know how it will be encoded. Sometimes and maybe very rarely fit into a yes or no question. The data is too hard to compile, and won't take into account circumstances.

How about trying to fix the education budget? How about trying to teach classes and hire and keep teachers? How about that before adding on fringe programs with more money?

[daBaroness]

First off ... all health screenings are strictly voluntary - schools must notify parents of pending health screenings and depending on what kind of screening - they must have the parent or guardian's signature on a permission slip to proceed. Even back in the dark ages when I was in school - I was so petrified of needles and of making a scene over a TB skin test, my mother signed a waiver so I didn't have to participate.

Every time my kids have had any kind of health screening, I've had to sign something to give permission. And even if they find something - like vision or dental - they merely report the results with suggestions of follow-ups if necessary. There are some funded programs to provide further services, but one must make a concerted effort to obtain those services.

Now both of my sons also have/had mental health (and I hate that designation) issues - Cameron with ADHD and Taylor with clinical depression. In each case, I had to get an outside, independent diagnosis and have that diagnosis verified by the doctor in writing before they'd even think of providing services. In every case I know where I child has these kinds of issues - whether it's a learning disability or a behavioral problem - the parents actually had to press the school for delivery of services covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Those include EAP and 504 plans which must be put together by a combination of school administration, counselors, teachers, parents, and unless the child is very young, the student herself.

I once even asked the district psychologist, who put together a special counseling group for my son with his friends to lessen the sting for him, why kids with problems like ADHD and others that are so disruptive to the classrooms, weren't referred by teachers to the counselors for intervention. She replied that it was a very slippery slope - first of all, for many parents - if they're told little Suzie might have ADD or OCD - or even suggest testing to determine if there's anything causing behavior problems - well, their first stop is going to be a lawsuit. Many are in denial, many have religious or other reasons they don't want the schools meddling in their personal business and many are just highly insulted that their sweet peach isn't anything but perfect.

Second, and probably more important, schools all over this country are struggling to provide a basic education and services for all of their students, they're not in a financial position to not only diagnose disabilities, but also to provide the special services a child with ADD or OCD or clinical depression would then be entitled to and require.

In my case, it was only the caring of Cameron's 8th grade teacher team who told me about developing a 504 plan for him that would make his life a lot easier because it leveled the academic playing field for him based on his ADHD. It didn't require a lot of expense on the part of the school - but it did require his teachers to go the extra yard for him and give him individualized attention he wouldn't otherwise have gotten. Along the way - some teachers were great about following the plan and really understood how the accommodations mandated by the plan were to level the field for him - not give him special and unfair advantage. But there were also teachers who resented having to do anything different for anyone - and while they couldn't, by law, refuse, they could be real jerks about it, give him lower grades, and hold a grudge that probably negated the accommodations.

This so-called law may have been put forth by someone misguided, but probably well-intentioned boob of a politician, but on the sheer cost of implementation alone, it is doomed to failure before it ever sees daylight. Add to that the fact that schools cannot force any kind of medical treatment on students and I think what you have here is a monsterous knee-jerk rant based in stupidity and ignorance of the law.

To force medication on a child - even one child - would require a court order and designation of a child as ward of the state to override the wishes of the parent. Simply put - it ain't gonna happen. But if you're concerned, cut and paste the article into an e-mail to one of your state or federal elected officials.

[Kae]

Well said Baroness.

As for misdiagnosing Asperger's and ADD or ADHD - it is simple. Not all - in fact most- Asperger's kids are not horribly "afflicted. A mild or medium onset of Asperger's looks extremely similar to ADHD or ADD, especially if the child was exposed to many social situations at a young age. most Asperger kids have a very high IQ and are very good at learning. Many have created techniques to cope in social situations that mask their symptoms. Dr. Atwood is an excellant resource as is The Children's Research center in DFW.

kae

[KissMeKate]

Is anyone else concerned about the seemingly rapid increase in diagnoses for these ailments? Is ADD, ADHD, OCD, Asperger's, and others more prevalent now or just more recognized or even overdiagnosed?

I too have been reading up on Asperger's and became very interested in the behaviors that are usually more prevalent based on the child's sex. Girls and boys can have different behaviors based on mild to severe as well as environmental factors.

Growing up, I don't remember taking any kind of diagnostic tests through school - no psych tests, IQ tests, other behavioral test, nothing like that. But as health insurance seems to cover less and less, perhaps it's a good thing that schools are willing and able to provide such services, if parents agree to them.

[I'Cin]

There are doctors willing to prescribe meds at the drop of hat to kids that they don't even think need them. Last summer/early fall, my then 15 y/o son was having some issues (somewhat more intense teen angst than normal, but nothing particularly horrible) which required a visit to our friendly local psychiatrist -- oh, sorry, adolescent behavioral specialist. He was a civilian doctor working for DOD at Bethesda Naval Hospital. He was also extremely loony tunes himself. The man did not make a good impression on me or my son. But the one thing that really got me was that at that first appointment he spent about 20 minutes with me and my son, then about 45 with just my son. My son and I both made it very clear that we considered medication to be an absolute final resort, should something be actually wrong. He called me back in, made several looney tunes comments, and then stated that my son is simply strung tight but seemed to be rather normal. On a scale of 1 to 10 (he was very big on using that scale), 1 being he didn't need anything to 10 being he should be restrained, committed, and kept comatose, he placed his need for medication at a 1 or possibly a 2. Then promptly turned around a couple of minutes later and offered to write a prescription.

I was astounded. A first appointment, less than an hour with my son, had been told by me that meds should be a last resort, and had said himself that he didn't think he needed medication, and offers to write him a prescription to help him not be wound quite so tight. Didn't offer any other suggestions as to ways to deal with it, like diet or exercise. "It" being whatever he thought might be wrong with him except that he said he seemed very normal. I guess if he's normal, why suggest diet or exercise changes. But on the other hand, why offer drugs? I couldn't believe it.

Needless to say, we didn't go back to him.

I'Cin

[Captain Stamina]

For those with kids I strongly urge you to look into the bill and how it’s worded. The school/teacher/councilor can’t force you to medicate you child, but there’s probably nothing in the wording that prevents them from contacting child services and informing them that they suggested that the child be medicated and that you’re abusing him/her for not giving it. And now there's a whole other mess to now contend with.

[Eric McTavish]

For those with kids I strongly urge you to look into the bill and how it’s worded. The school/teacher/councilor can’t force you to medicate you child, but there’s probably nothing in the wording that prevents them from contacting child services and informing them that they suggested that the child be medicated and that you’re abusing him/her for not giving it. And now there's a whole other mess to now contend with.

Bingo!!! This is the wording!! Also the doctors are emploied by the School board... funny thing that eh?

[Nevada]

we had iq tests when I was in school...I wish they had some testing when my older bro was there...he didnt discover he had mild dyslexia until he went in the air force..so he had to endure years of being made fun of by not only other students but even deragatory comments from his teachers and our step father once he learned the work arounds he did great!

[daBaroness]

I have my own theories about why ADD/ADHD, Aspberger's and other disorders seem more rampant these days ...

1. First, medical science is just now scratching the surface of the physiological disorders that have long been thrown into the "mental illness" well and ignored or forgotten. The medical establishment doesn't want to admit they don't know shit from shinola about the physiological causes. It wasn't until recently that things like clinical depression and ADD were "thought" to be brain chemistry/electricity disorders - where naturally-occuring chemicals in the body/brain aren't produced in enough quantity to help the body's control center (the brain) send the right signals to the right places to maintain good mental health. Just like insulin in proper amounts controls how food is metabolized and utilized in the body, so are hormones like seratonin, epinephren, etc.

My grandmother suffered for years with undiagnosed diabetes - and even when she was diagosed, medical treatments were far more primative and more of a shot in the dark than they are today. And yet even today, there is no cure for diabetes - depending on the type and severity it requires a regimented diet, exercise and medication for control of symptoms - and uncontrolled, diabetes is a killer. Diabetes has never been dubbed a mental illness, so there is no stigma attached to daily dependence on insulin to treat the disorder. But my clinical depression - which is exactly like diabetes except the chemical imbalance involved seratonin, not insulin (in my case) - is still considered a mental illness - and sufferers are treated as though they're damaged goods - as though if they'd just behave better or try harder - or see a shrink - they'd be cured. And even doctors who don't know squat try to wean patients off medications that supply the same control of symptoms as does insulin in diabetics.

So that's reason one - the separation and stigmatization of mental vs. physiological illnesses - and the amounts of research and money dedicated to finding not just treatments - but cures. As it stands right now - most medications for treatment of "mental illness" are crude stabs in the dark - researchers don't know how or why they work because they don't even understand how the brain is not working.

2. With the proliferation of food additives and preservatives and synthetic hormones and antibiotics given to animals and synthetic foodstuffs we cram into our mouths - its no wonder we're seeing more and more disease in all shapes and forms. Even if we buy fresh fruits and vegetables and cut out artificial foods like margarine (using real butter instead) - we don't have a clue what kind of poison is going into our bodies with each bite we take. And we don't know how those chemicals and our own body chemistry interacts either.

So - thus far we don't know what really causes "mental illness" and we don't know the long-term effect of the food we eat and the water we drink on our organs or body chemistry.

3. As the population grows and genetics becomes more and more of an unknown soup - and as children are born out-of-wedlock and go unknown to even close members of their biological family - doesn't it stand to reason the babies that are being born are at higher and higher risk for the hodgepodge of genetic snaps, crackles and pops that occur even in the best of circumstances?

Believe me, I'm including myself and my children in the mix here - I know my oldest son has at least four and probably more siblings on his father's side that he's never met and will never know. But I also know that at least one of his father's other children is a girl - a year or so younger than Cameron and this girl lives in the Kansas City area. While chances are slim they'll meet, muchless become romantically involved not knowing they're siblings - it has happened. Indeed, two weeks ago on Dr. Phil there was exactly that scenario - a husband and wife who found out three years into their marriage that they're actually half-siblings. They share the same father. And while they're older and not planning a family - this knowledge has destroyed them and their marriage.

So - poor science in terms of knowledge of physiological/body chemistry disorders, funky chemistry that's probably poisoning us and contributing to our illness through our food, and a growing melting pot of genetics. Is it any wonder we have a growing trend towards "mental" illness?!

[Alianne]

Schools *cannot* -- repeat: CANNOT order a child to take medication. Schools cannot diagnose *any* medical condition. A teacher or other school personnel can suggest to a parent that a child might benefit from evaluation based on what they observe, but that's it. Period, end of sentence. And they cannot force a child to use medication as part of a treatment plan.

Ahh but here's the rub... the wording of this bill is such as it has the child diagnosed, the prescribed...then the parent is negligent if they do not give/get the medication prescribed by the physician, who works for the school...

funny if you dig deep enough you find that this bill is supported by companies like Psydo (who manufacture Adderall and Ritalin...) interesting eh?

I don't know of a single child (and in 16+ years, we've known plenty) diagnosed with ADHD who was given a script for medication by a *school physician*.

What should happen is that someone requests an evaluation - it can be a parent, a teacher. The evaluation process should consist of the following (and if it doesn't, a parent has the right to request that it does):

- parental checklist of behaviors observed
- teacher checklist of behaviors observed
- testing by the school district's child study team (or whatever it's called in your specific state -- they have various names for the body of professionals who handle special needs students) -- this should include things like IQ testing, gross and fine motor skill testing, social skill testing, psychological testing and classroom observation.
- evaluation by a pediatric neurologist, including EEGs.
- evaluation by a pediatric psychiatrist
- recent physical (can be done by the family's pediatrician)

Specifically referring to ADHD here, all these are important because even though there have been advances in the past 5 years or so regarding the use of (for example) PET scans to help assist with diagnosing ADHD, it's still a diagnosis of elimination. There are numerous things that mimic ADHD symptoms -- certain forms of epilepsy, specific food allergies, sleep disorders, childhood depression and childhood bi-polar, just to name a few -- and these things have to be eliminated before settling on an ADHD diagnosis.

The parent can request a physician of their own choosing -- the child study team usually has lists of physicians who provide services, but the parent does not have to use them (that's federal law, btw).

Once a diagnosis of ADHD is considered, then the child study team, with all the reports and checklists in hand, determine if the child is eligible for specialized services, and if so, what services and either a 504 plan or an IEP is developed. Medication can be suggested by a physician (and in this instance, it's usually the pediatric psychiatrist who would make such a recommendation, since they are the ones most familiar with the family of medications most commonly used for the treatement of ADHD)...but the parents are not 'forced' to put their child on medication if they feel strongly against it.

I don't know what 'Psydo' is. Novartis is the company that manufactures Ritalin. Shire is the manufacturer of Adderall. Alza Corporation manufactures Concerta. Eli Lilly manufacturers Strattera.

The thing is, a medication trial can easily be started and ended. The medications most commonly used as 'first choice' for treatment of ADHD, Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta (with Strattera, a non-stimulant medication coming more into use) have long been tested for safety. The primary stimulant is the same in all three -- Adderall and Concerta are 'blends' of several stimulant salts, which give longer effect during the day, reducing the number of doses required) has been studied for over 4 decades.

Given as prescribed, all three are safe. They have no half-life in the bloodstream, so each day, when a child wakes up, they are literally medication free. Depending on which medication is used, if effective in helping relieve symptoms, a patient can expect anywhere from 3-8 hours of effectiveness. All three, due to their Schedule III classification by the FDA, require monthly written scrips. Prescriptions cannot be called in by a doctor, and most pediatric patients follow up with their prescribing physician on a quarterly basis. Strattera is an exception to this, as it is not Schedule III (it's not stimulant). It does have a half-life in the bloodstream and takes about a week to build to its therapeutic level. Because scrips can be called in with multiple renewals allowed, it's growing in popularity with older ADHD patients, from high-school/college age and up.

[Alianne]

FYI - when I tried to join the Navy 15 -16 years ago, they asked me if I had been on Riddelin, Lithium etc... when I was a child. I said no, then asked why, they said that if I had been it would have been an automatic no for joining. ( I couldn't anyway I have asthma they turned me down quick)
I don't know if that same protocal is used now but it is definately something do think about.

It's 'Ritalin', btw.

Anyway, the protocol is different now. Any person wishing to join the armed services must be medication-free for 6 months prior to enlistment and must remain so during the duration of their service. (At one point, my son was looking at the Naval Academy as a possible school/career choice, so we checked).

[Alianne]

Whoa! Kae!

How exactly can one confuse ADD/ADHD with Aspergers' or Autism? According to the DSM-4 (Psychologist diagnostic manuel) to have Asperger's you need to have the following criteria: 1. Poor social skills (ex. no eye contact, not understanding emotions like jealousy, not talking to students own age, etc)
2. Obsession or severe interest in a particular subject (Manga, cats (too many kids I know w/ this and are obsessed w/cats), turtles, trains, presidents of the US, skateboarding.)
3. Unable to speak in a socially appropriate tone (speak like a robot, speak sing-song, speak squeaky speak loud/soft) all the time!

Not much in there can be twisted to the average ADD/ADHD typical behavior. Although, we've many therapists that will try the other way around and try to convince us that these kids with ADD have Aspergers' (i'm dealing with one right now that has misdiagnosed 3 kids, because they came in at a time right after she when to a summit on Aspergers'. Coincidence?)

Please, please, please don't dismiss the meds because some one is making money off of it. We have parents taking kids off because of shame and kids refuse to take them because of shame. And normally bad things happen because of this. The best case I've had was the child began to wet his pants outside the school.

And finally I think the screens are a bad idea, because I know who will be taking the data and I know how it will be encoded. Sometimes and maybe very rarely fit into a yes or no question. The data is too hard to compile, and won't take into account circumstances.

How about trying to fix the education budget? How about trying to teach classes and hire and keep teachers? How about that before adding on fringe programs with more money?

With kids who are high-level functioning Aspergers', there can be confusion because some of what you describe in your points are also symptomatic of ADHDers -- the perseveration (hyperfocus) on a specific thing or things or activity, even to repetition of physical behaviors. Because ADHDers have difficulty focusing on things -- specifically, being able to choose where and when to place their focus, they often miss the non-verbal social cues that most kids learn as toddlers and preschoolers, so ADHDers often show behaviors like not maintaining good eye contact with someone and learning to use appropriate volume in speech -- things like that.

My ADHDer, who is now 19, when first diagnosed, displayed what was described as 'Aspergers-like features' -- he perseverated, had difficulty generating original speech (he would answer questions appropriately, but would use lines from tv shows and videos that he'd seen), had trouble interpreting emotions, especially when they were facial-only, head-banged, did repetitive motions (rocking, twirling in place...things like that) and often spoke using a fairly monotone level of voice.

I agree with you on all your other points -- well made, and definitely food for thought.

[Wolves Lady]

Ok - A couple of points/questions?

Does anyone know the name or number of the ruling so I can look it up. This has never come up in any of our school meetings or trainings, nor in any of the meetings for the kiddos school.
And they are right, it is illegal for any agent of the school to diagnos or insist upong medication. However; if they look at it as negligence - I see lawsuits in the future with a lot of families going through strife they don't need to.
Kae

I can poke around a little on the HS boards I am still getting and see what the links to the infomation are. To be honest, this was a hot topic last year when Illinois proposed this legislation (I think they were able to kill it), but I have not heard any sirens going off this year about this issue going federal. The name Nancy Levant keeps ringing a bell as well - wish I could remember where I heard her name!!

[Captain Stamina]

Found this generic link: http://www.guideline.gov/summary/summary.aspx?view_id=1&doc_id=5327

but a quick scan didn't reveal any specifcs. I'll keep looking.

[Miracle Wench]

thank You for all the info. With 4 kids in school next school year I will have to be more involved.
Thanks again.

[KissMeKate]

I have very little respect for doctors that would rather give you a drug than try something that's not medication dependent. It doesn't help that I'm one of those people that seems to get some of the worst side-effects too.

Every child is different and requires individual attention to determine if there is something wrong or not. Doctors today seem to be too quick in their diagnoses, and then write up a script and send you out the door. Follow-ups can be just as bad. Not every child requires medication to control behavior and not every child can do without. I do think it's important for parents and teachers to work together to determine if there is an issue and if it is truely a medical problem.

I know drug companies spend a lot of money on research and development, so it shouldn't surprise me that they are backing bills that will benefit them monitarily, but it does make me question the validity or necessity of the bill.

[Captain Stamina]

I managed to find this article. It was Ron Paul’s (Tx) attempt to stop the bill and funding for it, which failed. The article makes not that not only are the kids to be screened but the adults that work at schools as well.

http://www.namiscc.org/News/2004/Fall/MentalHealthScreening.htm

Some other information:

http://www.ablechild.org/

This appears to be an old website, but does cite the Texas Bills that will implement the federal legislation:

http://www.infowars.com/articles/ps/new_freedom_rears_head_tx_hb470.htm

A commentary from Phyllis Schlafly: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/phyllisschlafly/ps20041123.shtml

<Excerpt for those that live in Illinois>
It recommends "linkage" of these mental examinations with "state-of-the-art treatments" using "specific medications for specific conditions." That means prescribing more expensive patented antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs.
Illinois became the first state to jump on board. By near-unanimous votes in 2003, the General Assembly passed the $10 million Illinois Children's Mental Health Act creating a Children's Mental Health Partnership, which is expected to become a model for other states. The partnership's plan, released July 16, calls for periodic social and emotional developmental examinations to be administered to all children, and for all women to be interrogated for depression during pregnancy and up to a year postpartum. When the partnership showcased this plan with five public hearings stacked with bureaucrats and social service workers, a political tempest erupted, with state legislators saying they had no idea this was what they had voted for.
Illinois legislators were shocked to hear the details. The plan includes periodic developmental exams for children ages 0-18 years, a statewide data-reporting system to track information on each child, social-emotional development screens with all mandated school exams in kindergarten, fourth grade and ninth grade, and report cards on children's social-emotional development.

That's all I can find at the moment, must go back to work.

[Lady Laurel]

Anyway, the protocol is different now. Any person wishing to join the armed services must be medication-free for 6 months prior to enlistment and must remain so during the duration of their service. (At one point, my son was looking at the Naval Academy as a possible school/career choice, so we checked).

I am glad to hear that it had changed. That had worried me because there are alot of people as children that were on these medications.
Yep spelling is bad sorry.

[Wolves Lady]

The actual Bill Number is H.R. 5006. I was able to find a couple of links to it, including the text (for any of you who wish to search the thing - cripes - no wonder nothing ever gets done in Congress!! A search of bills relating to Mental Health issues alone turned up over 199 monsters!). I'll try and find a good "plain english" interpretation of the bill somewhere.

Anyway - here is what I found:

Link for Illinois news on bill, with additional links on bottom of page

http://www.illinoisleader.com/news/newsview.asp?c=19522

Bill summary and Status - HR5006 (108th Congress)

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HR05006:

Bills on mental health issues (108th Congress):

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/d?d108:0:./temp/~bdeV9a:[[o]]&items=100&

For Nancy Levant

http://nord.twu.net/acl/levant.html

I wish I could remember the topic that she wrote on that created such a bang in the Home School community last year - I keep having this niggling feeling that she ended up being the type that I like to call a "professional rabble rouser" - someone who uses only the "facts" that back their cause, and writes in a matter designed to inflame her audience - the sign of a good writer, but the kind you have to be careful of since she writes to mislead. I honestly do not remember, though - I'll have to open my mail archieves and see what I can find on the old threads.

[Alianne]

Anything that Phyllis Schafly supports is automatically suspect. She, like Peter Breggan, and Nancy Levant are firmly and loudly in the 'spreading misinformation via mass hysteria' camp -- all are anti-medication for virtually *all* 'mental illnesses'....Schaffly gets support from $cientology, which discounts medication for treatment in favor of their 'audits'. Breggan allegedly operates a clinic to study mental disorders (and again, pushes his own brand of 'therapy' and 'cures')...but upon research, his 'clinic' consists of himself and IIRC, his wife as the only employees.

Do a search on any of these people and you'll quickly see where *their* biases are --- and altruism and what's 'best for the children' has little to do with it.

[KissMeKate]

<Excerpt for those that live in Illinois>
It recommends "linkage" of these mental examinations with "state-of-the-art treatments" using "specific medications for specific conditions." ... The partnership's plan, released July 16, calls for periodic social and emotional developmental examinations to be administered to all children, and for all women to be interrogated for depression during pregnancy and up to a year postpartum. ... state legislators saying they had no idea this was what they had voted for.

Interrogated for depression during pregnancy and up to a year postpartum. Interrogation?!? WHF? [Mental image of very pregnant woman in empty room under a spotlight. "Are you depressed? We know you are, so why don't you just admit it?!?"]

Way to go Illinois. Vote for something you didn't even bother to read about. :hmm:

[Captain Stamina]

It’s very important to remember that politicians that know nothing about you or your family are more qualified than you to determine what medications you need, control your reproductive process, and if necessary, take away your home and property to put up a department store, because the city needs more tax dollars. This has to be done, because you are ignorant and obviously don’t know what’s best for you or your family and the community collective.

[KissMeKate]

:irked: Right! Thanks for the reminder! :mmph: :withstup:

[Ysobelle]

<Excerpt for those that live in Illinois>
It recommends "linkage" of these mental examinations with "state-of-the-art treatments" using "specific medications for specific conditions." ... The partnership's plan, released July 16, calls for periodic social and emotional developmental examinations to be administered to all children, and for all women to be interrogated for depression during pregnancy and up to a year postpartum. ... state legislators saying they had no idea this was what they had voted for.

Interrogated for depression during pregnancy and up to a year postpartum. Interrogation?!? WHF? [Mental image of very pregnant woman in empty room under a spotlight. "Are you depressed? We know you are, so why don't you just admit it?!?"]

Way to go Illinois. Vote for something you didn't even bother to read about. :hmm:


While MANDATING screening for post-partum depression makes me-- you'll forgive the pun-- nuts, SUGGESTING and MAKING AVAILABLE such screening for all women sounds like an excellent idea. One story about a woman killing all of her children after giving birth is one story too many.