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Go Slow on Mental Health Screening
 Category |
: Health |
 Times Read |
: 56 |
 Date |
: 14 March 2008 07:00 |
http://www.changingworldviews.com/GuestCommentaries/karenreffremarticle1.htm Dr. Karen R. Effrem International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and PsychologyPosted November 15, 2004 Labeling and drugging potentially millions of children Michael F. Hogan\s letter (\"Long-term study needed,\" Oct. 21) accusesSheldon Richman of misstatements and \"misrepresentations\" in his Oct.17 forum (\"Bush\s Brave New World\"). I contend that themisrepresentations are not coming from Mr. Richman, but from Mr. Hogan. Despite Mr. Hogan\s protestations to the contrary, the New FreedomCommission (NFC) clearly wants universal mental health screening,recommending \"screening for mental disorders ... across the life span.\" Mr. Hogan himself admits that he wants universal screening but thatthere are problems with it. Psychiatric Times noted, \"Hogan himself hasstrong feelings about the need for much more thorough screening ofchildren. But he acknowledged that \science and public opinion\ havenot advanced to the point where universal mental health screening isacceptable.\"There is much agreement that screening is scientifically unsupportable.The authors of psychiatry\s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual callmental health diagnostic criteria \"subjective\" and \"socialconstructions.\"The NFC treatment recommendations include lauding the Texas MedicationAlgorithm Project that is used in other states and pushed by Mr. Hoganin Ohio.This is despite the fact that members of TMAP were heavily influencedby the pharmaceutical industry to recommend drugs like the SelectiveSerotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants. SSRIs are moreexpensive, not effective in children in 19 of 22 studies, and havesevere side effects, including suicidal thoughts and attempts. Thesuicidality combined with lack of effectiveness caused the Food andDrug Administration to finally require this month its strongest drugwarnings, although such data has long been available. While laudablethat the NFC calls for study of the long-term effects of psychotropicdrugs, nowhere does it mention any of these other problems.Both Mr. Hogan and the NFC are rightly concerned about suicide.However, suicide is never once mentioned as a possible side effect ofthe drugs recommended.The report also fails to mention the U.S. Preventive Services TaskForce study showing that screening is useless in preventing suicide.Mr. Hogan is right that the commission never calls for mandatorytreatment. However, neither he nor the report acknowledge or condemnthe numerous instances of coercion across the nation.These incidents where parents have been threatened and charged withchild abuse for refusing medication have inspired more than 20 statelegislatures and the Congress to introduce or pass measures to prohibitcoercion.Mr. Hogan\s support of voluntary programs and parental consent ringshollow, as well. The phrase \"parental consent\" appears once and theword \"voluntary\" appears not at all in the NFC report. But if he trulyis in favor of voluntary parental consent, then he should soundlyendorse Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul\s bill, the Let Parents Raisetheir Kid\s Act, HR 5236.Given the very real problems of already existing coercion, subjectivecriteria, dangerous and ineffective medication, and the failure ofscreening to prevent suicide, none of which are covered in the NFCreport, Congress would be wise to withhold the $44 million requestedfor state grants to implement the NFC recommendations.Whatever good may come from the other recommendations is completelyovershadowed by the loss of freedom and damage that would come fromlabeling and drugging potentially millions of children based on theseunsupportable screening and treatment programs.Provided as a public service by Gary Konigsberg of www.totalitarian-pseudoscience.org
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