Is mandatory mental health testing the beginning of the end ?

[mia]

Across America the citizens of our country are in the dark about what this administration is doing to us. The idea of mandatory mental health testing is another indicator that our once glorious nation is being destroyed from within.

Here are a few articles that I've gathered to send to Republican family and friends. They've expressed interest and concern whenever the topic comes up. It's one of the few issues where we find agreement.

Please add any other links or information about this topic.


The Psycho State

by Rep. Ron Paul, MD

A presidential initiative called The “New Freedom Commission on Mental Health” has issued a report recommending forced mental health screening for every child in America, including preschool children. The goal is to promote the patently false idea that we have a nation of children with undiagnosed mental disorders crying out for treatment....

The greater issue, however, is not whether youth mental health screening is appropriate. The real issue is whether the state owns your kids. When the government orders “universal” mental health screening in schools, it really means “mandatory.” Parents, children, and their private doctors should decide whether a child has mental health problems, not government bureaucrats. That this even needs to be stated is a sign of just how obedient our society has become toward government. What kind of free people would turn their children’s most intimate health matters over to government strangers? How in the world have we allowed government to become so powerful and arrogant that it assumes it can force children to accept psychiatric treatment whether parents object or not?

Dr. Ron Paul is a Republican member of Congress from Texas.



Now Bush wants to test every American for mental illness--including you!

By Jordanne Graham

Never mind that it couldn’t have less to do with freedom; The New Freedom Initiative proposes to screen every American, including you, for mental illness. To this end, the president established a New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, to study the nation’s mental health delivery service and make a report. It’s interesting to note that many on the staff appointed to the Commission have served on the advisory boards of some of the nation’s largest drug companies...

Children and school personnel will be the first to be screened...



President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health


Nationwide Mental Health Screening Proposed


Attempt to dump mental screening fails Rep. Ron Paul hoped to stop mandatory federal program for children


Children's Mental Health Plan gives legislators headache


For the latest news, Google "New Freedom Commission on Mental Health".

[Kathy in Cambridge]

1. Holy shit it's 1984

'mental health screenings' will separate those that conform from those that have ideas or opinions outside the acceptable party line. This is SCARY! :scared:

[salvorhardin]

5. Yeah, it's scary. It's also

a potential huge cash cow for big pharma.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

37. My thought also. Looking for "thoughtcrime". Rather chilling, ain't it?

[vajraroshana]

2. scary

Very scary.

Mental health is both underfunded and misunderstood as well as being a political tool for control.

[juslikagrzly]

3. As a Ph.D. psychologist, this scares the sh*t out of me!

As a mother of two young children, it horrifies me!

Edit to add: any other mental health professionals on DU? We should contact our professional organizations to protest this abomination.

[nolabels]

22. Are you sure

I find it hard to believe you have a Ph.D and don't have a inkling of the other end at the pharmacological side of this. It's all about the money they can make, these are the biggest contributors to political campaigns now.

Here this is an old article, but still relevent (I still think you must be joking or something btw)

Your Mental Health - and the Pharmaceutical Industry
Sunday 8 December 2002

Your mental health - in big Pharma's hands? Cast your mind to all those information brochures in your doctor’s waiting room. Some of them come from pharmaceutical companies but at first glance this isn’t always apparent. They don’t always mention they have a product for just the symptoms being discussed, though skeptics would argue that this is implicit in their message. Are the awareness raising efforts of pharmaceutical companies a case of good corporate citizenship? Or are they promoting the problems as a way of promoting their products? And how does all this affect the clinical decisions of psychiatrists?

Transcript

Natasha Mitchell: Hello, Natasha Mitchell here with you for All In the Mind. Good to have you on board.

Today: your mental health – is it in the hands of the giants of the pharmaceutical industry, and when does health information come with or without strings attached?

MUSIC

Voices: Make the change – a life more ordinary – build long-term stability – bringing life back into balance – confidence through experience – free to live – make a difference – another happy year…..

Natasha Mitchell: Just some of the slogans you'll find in medical publications that carry ads for drugs like anti-depressants.

This week, a revised Code of Conduct for the pharmaceutical industry in Australia was released by their peak body, Medicines Australia. Many of the changes respond to the increasing criticism about the sorts of perks that drug companies offer doctors, in order to plug their products – things like subsidized trips to conferences, that sort of thing.

But what about the subtle ways in which drug companies present their products to you, the consumer?

Certainly in the USA you'll find ads on the television and in magazines for anti-depressants. But that's not allowed to happen here – yet.
(snip)
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/mind/s743388.htm

[juslikagrzly]

26. Well, last time I looked I still had my diploma on the wall

See my posts #8 and #15.

Edit to add: I'm not sure why you would assume I have no inkling of the pharmacological side of the issue because I said it scares the shit out of me.

[nolabels]

40. It did me once too

The world is still too much of a crude place for something like that to take hold and be able to run rampant like people have been stating. These preposterous stories some would like to foist are vehicles for the people telling them many times.

The mental health field is in shambles for quite a few reasons. But one thing is for sure, it is not because of a limited scope of mood altering drugs. I got two kids at home also and I would never let any freaking MD prescribe some elixir for their very vibrant souls. That stuff is horrible.

Of note to me is the state of fear, like they Chinese have that symbol for interesting times which conclusions they draw from it are opportunity and danger (at least in translation from Mandarin to English). I think part of the translation must be lost somehow. From any fear I perceive personally, I either get angry (which means i didn't learn my lesson) or I find more things out just because I want to know. That's what I do with my fear, I use it as motivation to check things out.

Btw, thanks for the reply and sorry arrogant or if it seemed a affront personally (I guess I was), but it was a very sensitive subject to me also Thanks to the anonymity of the Internet none of really matters unless somebody learns something.

On edit: typo

[Eloriel]

55. Well, something was certainly lost in YOUR translation

Of note to me is the state of fear, like they Chinese have that symbol for interesting times which conclusions they draw from it are opportunity and danger (at least in translation from Mandarin to English). I think part of the translation must be lost somehow.

You're just misremembering. The Chinese character for CRISIS is composed of the characters for Danger and Opportunity.

The "interesting times" reference you're remembering is that it was an old Chinese CURSE that went, "May you live in interesting times."

[juslikagrzly]

60. Thanks Eloriel

you took the post right out of my mouth. Nolabels, if I'm reading your posts correctly, they sound a bit contradictory. But thanks for the apology anyway.

[Art_from_Ark]

107. Interesting-- I'd never thought of it before, but the characters

for "crisis" in Japanese are also a juxtaposition of "danger" with "opportunity"

Šë‹@

And the two characters, in this case, are pronounced the same ("ki-ki")

Hmmmm...

[mia]

59. State implementation info - Protect Your Children Against Screening

http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/protect-your-children.htm


To see what your state has implemented to comply with President Bush's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (forced "mental health" screening), go to this link to get data in HTML format.

[mia]

65. The Florida Algorithm Project (FALGO)

http://falgo.org/


Survey for family members

Questionnaire for Treatment of
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Instruction:
Please follow the instructions to complete the questionnaire. Answer all the questions applied to you. Submit the form if you desire immediate response. Click the "Reset" button if you want to change your answers.

1. Had diagnostic assessment and family consultation regarding treatment alternatives been provided?
Yes No
If your answer is "No", skip all the rest of questions and submit the form now.

2. Was medication treatment chosen as an alternative?
Yes No
If your answer is "No", skip all the rest of questions and submit the form now.

3. Had monotherapy (Methylphenidate, Amphetamine) been used?...


(More questions related to Pemoline
Bupropion, Imipramine, or Nortriptyline)


13. Had Alpha Agonists been attempted?
Yes No
If your answer is "No", skip all the rest questions and submit the form now.

14. Was there a full response to the Alpha Agonists used?
Yes No
You have completed the questionnaire. Submit the form now.



Has anyone ever known a child who was not hyperactive at one time or another?
Alpha Agonists? They sound like some kind of ultimate solution.

God help us all.

[salvorhardin]

4. Ron Paul

was also the 1988 Libertarian Party presidential candidate. He also supports drug legalization. Of course, he also advocates for abolishing the Departments of Energy and Education.

[jpgray]

6. This feels to me like a drug company payoff (nt)

[juslikagrzly]

8. Absolutely!

I bet if you researched the support for this, you'd find big money from pharmaceutical companies financing the whole thing

[Eloriel]

24. I'm afraid it's far more sinister than that, but it's the $$$ too

Please don't forget that the Bushes have been huge fans of eugenics, and basically still are.

Please don't forget about the CIA's various mind-control experiments and activities, and you KNOW that at least some of the pharmaceuticals (many of which had strong ties to Nazi Germany) are perfectly well aware and also INVOLVED. AND that Bush Sr. was head of the CIA for a while.

No, this isn't JUST about money. Nosirree. Mark my words.

[juslikagrzly]

28. I wasn't aware of the eugenics connection

but it certainly makes sense and adds to the scariness.

[sffreeways]

27. George H.W Bush

I believe still sits on the board of Eli Lilly so of course just like the war in Iraq benefits the friends of the criminally corrupt administration so does this fiasco.

Also, since GHW Bush was the director of the CIA after Dulles he probably continued the CIA program called Operation MK Ultra. It's even more frightening than anyone that isn't aware of that particular CIA assault on our citizens can imagine.

These people have been waiting for the opportunity to do this for decades. And it's an idea Dr. Mengele, one of Hitler's favorite Nazi doctors, perfected on the Jews in the concentration camps. I think Elli was involved with the Nazi's on this if I'm not mistaken.

When I first heard this about a year ago I immediately thought of MKUltra. The connection between Bush, Nazis, the CIA, and Eli Lilly explains exactly why they have this dangerous idea in mind.

For many Americans, the 1950s were a docile decade. In U.S. history books, the period is mostly portrayed as a mellow, orderly one, especially in light of the social upheavals that followed in the 1960s. But for the CIA, the "I Like Ike" years were packed with adventure and action, much of it conducted outside of the public's view. Few programs were sheltered with more secrecy than the Agency's mind control experiments, identified together with the code-name MKULTRA.

Concerned about rumors of communist brainwashing of POWs during the Korean war, in April 1953 CIA Director Allen Dulles authorized the MKULTRA program, which would later become notorious for the unusual and sometimes inhumane tests that the CIA financed. Reviewing the experiments five years later, one secrecy-conscious CIA auditor wrote: "Precautions must be taken not only to protect operations from exposure to enemy forces but also to conceal these activities from the American public in general. The knowledge that the agency is engaging in unethical and illicit activities would have serious repercussions in political and diplomatic circles."

Though many of the documents related to MKULTRA were destroyed by the CIA in 1972, some records relating to the program have made it into the public domain, and the work of historians, investigative reporters, and various congressional committees has resulted in the release of enough information to make MKULTRA one of the most disturbing instances of intelligence community abuse on record. As writer Mark Zepezauer puts it, "the surviving history is nasty enough."

http://www.parascope.com/ds/mkultra0.htm

Eli Lilly, Zyprexa
& The Bush Family
The Diseasing Of Our Malaise
By Bruce Levine
5-8-4

More than one journalist has uncovered corrupt connections between the Bush Family, psychiatry, and Eli Lilly & Company, the giant pharmaceutical corporation. While previous Lillygates have been more colorful, Lilly's soaking state Medicaid programs with Zyprexa-its blockbuster, antipsychotic drug-may pack the greatest financial wallop. Worldwide in 2003, Zyprexa grossed $4.28 billion, accounting for slightly more than one-third of Lilly's total sales. In the United States in 2003, Zyprexa grossed $2.63 billion, 70 percent of that attributable to government agencies, mostly Medicaid.

Historically, the exposure of any single Lilly machination-though sometimes disrupting it-has not weakened the Bush-psychiatry-Lilly relationship. In the last decade, some of the more widely reported Eli Lilly intrigues include:

a. Influencing the Homeland Security Act to protect itself from lawsuits

b. Accessing confidential patient records for a Prozac sample mailing

c. Rigging the Wesbecker Prozac-violence trial

A sample of those who have been on the Eli Lilly payroll includes:

a. Former President George Herbert Walker Bush (one-time member of the Eli Lilly board of directors)

b. Former CEO of Enron, Ken Lay (one-time member of the Eli Lilly board of directors)

c. George W. Bush's former director of Management and Budget, Mitch Daniels (a former Eli Lilly vice president)

d. George W. Bush's Homeland Security Advisory Council member, Sidney Taurel (current CEO of Eli Lilly)

e. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (a recipient of Eli Lilly funding)

http://www.rense.com/general52/exc.htm

[Kool Kitty]

30. Honey, that is exactly what this is.

Just another big "thank you" to big donors to Republicans. Unreal.

[Deja Q]

7. * has proven himself to be less than altruistic. So what's his ulterior

motive for his agenda?

And WTF dos 'freedom' have to do with such mandatory testing on such a personal level?

* has proven himself to be less than altruistic for everything else.

Oh. I'm already getting treatment. My docs know I have anxiety and ADD, so what? I can still contribute to society.

[BiggJawn]

9. Prescott Bush was a huge fan of Eugenics.

Thought (along with the Harrimans, who funded Eugenics conferences) that people should be "bred" like racehorses, to bring forward the "desirable" traits. He was against allowing persons considered "defective" from reproducing.

In the 70's Poppy said:
"The per capita income gap between the developed and the developing countries is increasing, in large part the result of higher birth rates in the poorer countries.... Famine in India, unwanted babies in the United States, poverty that seemed to form an unbreakable chain for millions of people--how should we tackle these problems?.... It is quite clear that one of the major challenges of the 1970s ... will be to curb the world's fertility." ( Phyllis Tilson Piotrow, World Population Crisis: The United States Response (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1973), "Forward" by George H.W. Bush, pp. vii-viii.)

So is it any surprise that PNAC and their puppet want to test us all? "Weed out the defectives"?

[George_S]

32. Eugenics

"The Dream and the Nightmare: The Sixties' Legacy to the Underclass" by Myron Magnet (Editor of MI's quarterly magazine) is the book that strategist Karl Rove called a roadmap to Bush's compassionate conservatism. President-elect Bush told the Wall Street Journal that it was the most important book he had ever read, apart from the Bible. While Governor of Texas, G.W. Bush presided over an unprecedented number of executions by lethal injection, at a rate almost equal to all the other governors combined. He has opposed laws that would prohibit the execution of the mentally retarded and it is a position he still holds, according to spokeswoman Linda Edwards (NY Times 8/7/2000).

Many of the Pentagon's biochemical weapons are pharmaceuticals that are called calmatives, disabling chemicals, nonlethal chemicals, and etc. Donald Rumsfeld was the President and CEO of Searle Pharmaceuticals from 1977 to 1985. He has also served on the boards of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Gilead Sciences (biotech company), and the Tribune Company which owns the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. Searle was later bought by Monsanto, which was subsequently taken over by Pharmacia. The FTC recently approved the merger of Pfizer Inc. and Pharmacia Corporation, making it one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, if not the largest. Pfizer is purchasing Pharmacia for an estimated 60 billion. John Ashcroft received generous contributions for his campaign as senator (Missouri) from Monsanto, Schering-Plough, AT&T, and Microsoft. Monsanto is the producer of Agent Orange, Aspartame, DDT, Dioxin, Roundup, PCB, Terminator seeds, and other contaminants. Some of the companies that will profit, by manufacturing incapacitating biochemical weapons, are Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Pharmacia, and Pfizer.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/112503louise.html

[George_S]

35. Compassionate Conservatism, what is it?

Check the reviews of Bush's fav book other than the Bible.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1893554023/102-1350655-2496162?v=glance

[gumby]

Don't know why the wingnuts have been so silent

about this one.

Remember when they were inventing all that crap like "Hillary is going to kidnap your child for State indoctrination?"

The wingnuts hate anything to do with "mental health" because it is mental illness that swells their ranks.

Trust me on this one. The wingnuts may be being quiet on this because of the election, but you can bet that they will NEVER allow their Boy George to follow through on this one.

[Bluebear]

14. He has them under some kind of spell.

They resist nothing from their Lord and Leader.

[gumby]

18. They might not be able to "resist"

but they are sure able to "educate," if you get my meaning.

I may have to write Phyllis Schlafly about this one. hehehe

[tom_paine]

105. Bullshit, they will submit like the propagandized automatons they ARE

In fact, so long as the "mental health screening" is administered in a 1940s KKK style (Bushevik = pass, Democrat/Liberal/Free American = fail) they will be lining up around the block to denounce the neighbors they don't like to the Board.

The Wingnuts, except the Pat Buchanan types who are being subsumed by full-on Goebbels v2.0, will happily submit.

Happily. And when they stand in line like at a Mississippi Polling Place in 1942

"Republican, you're normal. Democrat, report for Prozac and further drugging along with some permanent record stigmatizing."

they will smile and smile and SMILE like a Good German!

[napi21]

10. Oooo, wouldn't you just love to hear the criteria for this?

How do they determine the mental health of a pre-schooler?

How do they determine the mental health of anyone for that matter?

[salvorhardin]

13. Well, now that you mention criteria...

Here's a tasy quote from the report...

Linkage with treatment and supports" including "state-of-the-art treatments" using "specific medications for specific conditions." The commission commended the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP) as a "model" medication treatment plan that "illustrates an evidence-based practice that results in better consumer outcomes.

Maybe a mental health professional can elaborate on this, but an algorithmic approach to the diagnosis of mental health scares the living daylights out of me. Notice the recommendation of "specific medications for specific conditions" too. Symptom A+B+C = chronic depression = prozac for Johnny,

[juslikagrzly]

15. I'll try, but

it's very complicated and completely political (what isn't?). I'm not sure about the algorithm deal, but the "latest and greatest" in mental health is empircally supported treatments. I could rant all day, but basically it consists of "cookbook" approaches to mental illness. You have depression, therefore the "research" says you should receive XYZ anti-depressant and cogntive-behavioral therapy. What is at issue, really is that diagnosis is incredibly subjective and yes, political. You should read the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) sometime on how it's put together. Criteria for mental disorders are not discreet and you can give 10 mental health professionals the same client and get 10 different diagnoses. It's a freakin' mess IMHO. Look at anyone who is labeled severely chronically mentally ill, and their file will contain numerous and contradictory diagnoses. No one is allowed to just have a bad day, or be eccentric, etc.

It's definitely a pharmaceutical marketing ploy! Makes me question my profession.

[napi21]

19. Thanks, and please see my post #16.

You're opinion is much more professional, but very similar to mine!

[napi21]

16. The quote is way too technical for my question.

All I'd like to know is how they would determine if an individual is abnormal. What circumstances would have to be presenet to determine a person needs meds?

Hey, have a TV on in the background showing a shrub speech, and I'm sure I'd be diagnosed as a raving maniac!!!

[juslikagrzly]

20. That is what's so scary about this

defining abnormal is impossible and totally subjective. If I have power over you, and decide you are abnormal, then you are. If I decide your behavior is outside the norm and unacceptable, then you get meds. Fascism at it's best

[napi21]

23. Only one thought comes to mind...OH SH*T!!!!

That means anyone can be put on meds based solely on the determination of pne persons opinion! I think EVERYONE could be considered abnormal at sometime.

[juslikagrzly]

33. It will probably be some committee

that decides--a committee of fascists! Maybe something like this scenario: your kid acts up, maybe s/he's bored, had a bad morning, whatever. The teacher, crazy with trying to teach in an already overcrowded classroom, and make sure all her/his little charges will pass the mandatory tests, refers little Susie to the school counselor. The school counselor calls in the "mandated" testing team, they give a few abbreviated assessments and "recommend" medication. It's all about power and control.

[vetwife]

47. And Electric shock Treatment !

http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/bushpsychnews.shtml

[Eloriel]

56. Well, liberals are especially abnormal

Those who don't support corporatism and unfettered capitalism, or the God of the Fundamentalists, or the death penalty, or losing our freedoms so the terrorists won't win, or ... you name it.

[juslikagrzly]

61. Heyhey

here's to being "abnormal" :)

[skygazer]

69. Exactly

This stuff scares the crap out of me because its so subjective. I've been variously diagnosed over the years with a number of different disorders, the meds for which differ widely. Many times the meds for one disorder cause worse problems if the person actually suffers from a different disorder.

With kids, it gets more complicated. Adolescents go through periods when they all seem insane! I personally believe that kids are already over diagnosed with things like ADHD - this would add to that issue.

In addition, one important aspect of identifying mental illness is familiarity with the person being diagnosed (this is my opinion - I'm not a doc but with something as subjective as this, I think its important). If you see your family doc because you're suffering from strange symptoms, it can be compared to your case history and your doc, who should be familiar with you, can make a diagnosis based on that. Especially if it's an early diagnosis, before major symptoms have appeared.

If kids are being diagnosed at school, they're being looked at by someone who has never seen them before. That seems to me to be a situation rife for mis-diagnosis.

[shanti]

42. betcha it starts

with the color of one's skin...:(

[The Traveler]

11. This has got to be stopped.

More than anything else, this crap reveals Bush for the tin horn little Big Brother wanna be he really is.

[Kanary]

12. I hope it's the *BEGINNING*!!

The beginning of people coming out of the Great Sleep, and figuring out that this misadministration is more abuot $$$, and not so much about their best interests!

If this doesn't do it, what in the hell will it take??

Kanary

[shraby]

17. What the hell is it called the "New Freedom

Commission" for? Seems everything those idiots do they call it the Freedom something. Must be some kind of sickness they have.

[Minstrel Boy]

21. I can't see or hear the word "freedom" now without

wanting to :puke: And that's sad.

[mia]

29. It is sad.

I can't see or hear any * words without thinking he means the opposite.

compassionate conservatism = wanton disregard
new freedom = medieval tyranny

[skygazer]

70. Clean Air Act

Healthy Forests Initiative

White is Black

Night is Day

[neebob]

73. When I hear "New Freedom,"

I think of maxi-pads. I date myself.

[juslikagrzly]

25. Sadly, I think the "freedom" title

refers to freedom from free thinking.

[Mrs_Beastman]

31. There is no way to fit this in a budget and pull this off

Public schools barely screen for learning disabilites....I can't see this working.

Besides, kid's mental health would be better if their parents have jobs and are well fed...Oh, I'm such an idealistic dreamer and I'm babbling because it's late.

Off to bed , goodnight!

[Zorbet55]

34. I will chew grass and eat dirt.......make them think I'm crazy.

I've been baptised though. Many years ago. Maybe I will be kept alive for brain experiments.

[Paranoid_Portlander]

36. Here is the Freedom Commission's Final Report. (complete text)

It's at mentalhealth.about.com/cs/associations/a/freedomtoc.htm One of the chapters includes Bush's executive order stating the goals of the Commission. I didn't take time to read all of the report, but they strongly advocate some kind of integrated electronic medical-records database for easy access by various doctors. This access would also be useful in the War on Drugs to snoop on people who have been doctor shopping (my interpretation). Major privacy issues here. On edit: the above link doesn't seem to work. Try this: mentalhealth.about.com/b/a/011223.htm

[Paranoid_Portlander]

39. Also screening for illegal drug use...

... in conjunction with screening for mental illness. So this would be one ulterior motive, part of the War on Drugs.

[Eloriel]

57. Try putting in the http://www. so it's a hot link

instead of something we have to cut and paste:

http://www.mentalhealth.about.com/b/a/011223.htm

[OneBlueSky]

38. the very scariest aspect of this scheme . . .

is that BushCo and their cohorts will be the ones who determine just what constitutes "mental illness" . . . if this actually happens, you can bet next month's mortgage payment that it won't be long before homosexuality is once again branded a mental illness (regardless of what the APA has to say) . . . then maybe pro-choice predelictions? . . . and any number of other "conditions" that don't comport with the neocon agenda . . .

this is indeed the beginning of the end, and it will be up to the American people to fight it with every ounce of energy we can muster . . .

[Kanary]

41. Just in case there are any Doubting Thomas' left in the house......

this has already been made law in Illinois.

No, I don't have a link handy, but it's available with a bit of googling.......

Kanary, wishing everyone a good night's sleep..... :)

[T Bone]

43. Beyond Freedom and Dignity - the ultimate GOP plan

:kick:

[Karenina]

44. Kick!

:crazy:

[Ilsa]

49. I wonder if anyone in IL has refused it yet? eom

[Kanary]

96. "Refuse"? It's not voluntary....

It wasn't issued with a choice.

Comply, leave the state, or be arrested.

Some have become alarmed.

A lot are..."Well, it sounds like a good thing...... hmmm, I dunno, I don't know if I would want my kid on drugs.... gee...... oh well......"

A lot like the reaction in the rest of the country will be.

A test run.

Kanary

[Ilsa]

45. Thanks for posting this Mia.

I had been waiting for commentary and links from independent sources. Dr. Ron Paul is my representative. He failed running for Congress as a Libertarian, so he switched parties and has repeated victories as a Republican, but he doesn't always vote according to DeLay's directives.

People need to wake up and smell the coffee.

[vetwife]

46. I had a thread about this last week and Patch Adams is protesting

as they will actually use shock treatments on people who the government decides in some experts opinion to be be free thinkers.This is not just about children. This is everyone.

http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/bushpsychnews.shtml

[salvorhardin]

54. Oh no! Not just drugs but ECT too!

From the parent post's link:

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT or shock therapy) also found its way into TMAP's treatment plan. If drugs fail to get the expected results, TMAP patients diagnosed with a wide range of "disorders" can expect to receive shock treatment.

On edit: I didn't see Vetwife's post above when I posted.

[Ilsa]

48. Is there a White House link that

describes the mental health testing of preschoolers, etc? I need that link. SO far, all I have is the word of various websites and Ron Paul. I need something more concrete to spur my friends into action. I the WH links above talk about equal access, community inclusion, etc. The last link didn't work for me.

Thanks again for all your hard work.

[mia]

51. here's the Illinois article

IL Children's Mental Health Plan gives legislators headache
http://www.illinoisleader.com/news/newsview.asp?c=18658

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

By Rhonda Robinson, Leader correspondent

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois recently gained national and international attention as the first state to put into law a template for mental health screening that could become a national model for government mandated “evidence-based practices screening" for emotional and social disorders for the state’s children....

But now, some state legislators are expressing concern that those putting the law into practice are either over-reaching its original intent, or the language of the law is problematic.

Last August, Governor Rod Blagojevich signed the Illinois Children’s Health Act of 2003. It stated in part:

The State of Illinois shall develop a Children’s Mental Health Plan containing short-term and long-term recommendations to provide comprehensive, coordinated mental health prevention, early intervention, and treatment services for children from birth through age 18....

[Ilsa]

53. Thanks.

This helps some because it reflects the attempt to put this in practice.

I've all the links within the links to the COmmission's report and WH report, and I still can't find the funding or verbage for mandatory testing of school kids, etc.

If they want to help kids with disabilities, they need to fully fund IDEA.

[HuckleB]

76. Some links:

Link to the site for the President's New Freedom Commission On Mental Health:
http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/

Early Mental Health Screening and Referral to Services:
http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Campaign_for_the_Mind_of_America/Mental_Illness_Awareness_Week/Get_Early_Mental_Health_Screening_and_Referral_to_Services.htm

Goal 4: Early Mental Health Screening, Assessment, and Referral to Services Are Common Practice:
http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/About_Public_Policy/New_Freedom_Commission/Goal_4_Early_Mental_Health_Screening.htm

NAMI's full report on the Commission On Mental Health:
http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/About_Public_Policy/New_Freedom_Commission/Default1169.htm

Report of the Surgeon General's Conference on Children's Mental Health:
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/cmh/childreport.htm

[Ilsa]

94. Thanks. I had found the first one,

but wasn't aware of any links originating from "NAMI".

[The Backlash Cometh]

50. Sedating the nation has its benefits tor those in power.

Personally, I think our society is dysfunctional which is why so many people are responding in ways that others would diagnose as "mental." But doping them up only hides the symptoms. It doesn't resolve the real conflicts that are causing the disconnect. And there are so many conflicts. Most of it centers on the double messages that we get on a daily basis. For children, they get barraged with messages that sex is hip and good; and they only find out belatedly that there are health issues that they need to pay attention to. For adults they get the message that they need to make money -- and lots ot it. This society loves a winner. The more toys you have in your over-sized garage, the better you are and how you make that money is irrelevant as long as you make it to church an hour a week.

But the reality is that when you have so many predators in a society, everyone else tends to withdraw. What you lose is a sense of community. You can't force community. It's built on trust. If there is no trust, there is no community. All you're left with is real estate.

[Q]

52. This is even better than a chicken in every pot...

...it's a bottle of pills in every pocket!

- Can't cope with reality? Screwed up on your math test? Dad won't buy you a playstation? Think your government is oppressive? TAKE A PILL!

[Eloriel]

58. No, a little different than that

Think your government needs protesting? Get a pill (or electric shock therapy) FORCED on you. Your version would be the benign version. Have you ever known this merry band of fascists to have any (even misguided) "good" intentions in mind?

[Q]

63. It's all about control...

...the Hitler Youth 'drafted' TEN YEAR OLDS and indoctinated them into believing that they were 'superior' to all other races. These ten year olds took an oath to die for Hitler.

- American RWing fascists know that brainwashing our youth would be much easier if done under the influence of drugs.

[progressivebydesign]

62. THIS is what the media should be really covering...

.. instead we get stories of Kerry's "flip-flops", gun collection, etc.

This forced screening should scare the shit out of everyone, regardless of affiliation. It's one thing to screen kids for sight and hearing problems at school, but mental health? Who's the judge of that? Will the kids be removed from their homes? Forced to take medications? Will kids with homosexual tendencies be singled out as mentall ill by this administration and forced into treatment?

This is one of the greatest threats to our freedom, and combined with the unprecedented assault on our basic liberties in these past 4 years... it needs to be shouted from the rooftops. I think it will creep everyone out, and needs to be exposed.

[Scooter24]

64. Woohoo!

Prozac for everyone!

[vetwife]

67. Have you ever thought the Bush Loyalists are already programmed

That sounds like CT but he could eat a puppy on tv and no one would see anything wrong? Remember the blacks and the experiments in the South regarding STD? Remember spraying of agent orange? Remember the 5 soldiers who all cam home from Ft. Bragg and killed their wives?

[Scooter24]

66. After reading the Texas Project,

It really does bother me that they support Electroconvulsive Therapy. I thought this procedure was controversial without any conclusive results?

I couldn't imagine shocking people by force because they exhibit "A, B, and C factors" of depression therefore having to undergo mandatory treatment.

[Jackpine Radical]

68. Another psych PhD checking in--my immediate thought was

that, in addition to being a bit-time payoff to Big Pharma, this is a lot like the old Soviet approach to dissidents: classify them as psychotic & snow them with phenothiazines.

Only in this case it's probly more likely to be ADHD, depression, etc., to be treated with Ritalin, Adderal & SSRIs.

BTW--many or most ADHD kids turn out to be pretty creative as well as rebellious. Just the kind of kid the Neocons would want to get chilled out on Ritalin or dextroamphetamine.

[mia]

71. New Freedom Summit - sponsored by...

Select Proceedings
Transforming Mental Health In Texas
OCTOBER
21-23, 2003, AUSTIN, TEXAS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Members of the Texas Board of Mental Health and Mental Retardation
express appreciation to the following organizations
for sponsoring the New Freedom Summit:

AstraZeneca

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

Eli Lilly and Company

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)

Pfizer

Copies of this report and reprints of individual sections are available from the Office of Policy Development,
Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation,
PO Box 12668, Austin, Texas 78711-2668, phone [phone].

Copyright June 2004

[neebob]

72. Sure, this is a dumb and even scary idea

but why do so many people think it's mandatory? How would that work? And how would they pay for it? Do you really think they'd be willing to commit enough money to screen the entire U.S. population?

Assuming it ever gets as far as to become an actual program, starting with screening kids in schools - and I think that's a stretch, but let's say it happens - do you not think there will be a massive public outcry?

I haven't read anything from the government that says the intention is to screen everyone and make it mandatory. Where is this coming from?

[mia]

74. Mandate is coming from our government...

IL Children's Mental Health Plan gives legislators headache
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
By Rhonda Robinson, Leader correspondent

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois recently gained national and international attention as the first state to put into law a template for mental health screening that could become a national model for government mandated “evidence-based practices screening" for emotional and social disorders for the state’s children...

http://www.illinoisleader.com/news/newsview.asp?c=18658



Attempt to dump mental screening fails
Rep. Ron Paul hoped to stop mandatory federal program for children
Posted: September 10, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

An amendment offered by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, in the House of Representatives yesterday that would have remove from an appropriations bill a new mandatory mental-health screening program for America's children failed by a vote of 95-315....

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40384

[neebob]

75. I read those articles

Key phrase in the one from the Illinois Leader: "over-reaching its original intent." I'm not discounting the fact that legislation exists already; that certainly gives me pause. I just think all the stuff about it being mandatory and eventually for everyone is coming from interpretations and imagination. The intent is to make money, and anyone who wants to use it to constrain dissenters is going to meet with massive resistance.

If you want to see wingnuts flip out, try telling them their kids can't go to school unless they're medicated.

[mia]

77. flipping out

I agree about interpretations and imagination, but I think the intent is about more than making money. Control of the citizenry comes to my mind first.
This resistance is already underway.

http://www.ablechild.org/

[neebob]

79. Control of the citizenry

I don't doubt that someone in Bushco has thought of that. It's just that it's so anti-everything this country is about, I just don't see it happening. And believe me when I say I thought twice before saying so. I'm glad the resistance is underway.

[HuckleB]

78. Maybe...

But there seems to be plenty of anecdotal evidence among many of the psych professionals that I know and work with that Repuparents are more likely to be those who bring their kids in and want the psych professional to "just fix the kid." Damn the environment. Damn who the real patient in need might be. And this sort of attitude is probably more likely to seek professionals who would treat with medication first and with medication only. So...

Ah, just yakking.

[neebob]

80. I'm using my parents as the wingnut model

My dad would have had a shit fit about a mental health test. My brother's fourth-grade teacher probably still has nightmares about what happened after he sent home a note asking everyone to bring a box of crayons that would be put into a shared pool.

But never mind the red menace and their crayon communism. I'm talking about people who think a good smack can fix anything.

[HuckleB]

81. Exactly.

That anecdotal evidence I mentioned covers those folks (a good smack...) more than any other possible grouping. When the smack don't work, they're ready for any other easy solution they can find, and that's often a pill minus a full evaluation and minus any other type of treatment.

[neebob]

82. Not my parents

As it happens, mood disorders run in my family. My dad had a bad one, and they only got him on an antidepressant after he became severely disabled from a series of strokes and heart attacks. My mom let him go off it after a while, despite its having made her life much easier. My brother (who's not a wingnut but not a liberal, either) would rather die from a headache than take a friggin' aspirin, much less an antidepressant. It's a sign of weakness. He'd be at the school in five minutes. So would I, and I'm a bleeding-heart liberal commie pinko.

I was on Prozac myself for a couple of years, and it made me feel good - too good, such that I went all la-di-da and one with the universe and did a really stupid thing. You couldn't pay me to go on it again, and if they tried to put my kid on it I'd stage a revolt.

I don't know, maybe most of the people I'm thinking of are old - like my grandma, who refused to wear her glasses and hearing aid despite not being able to see past her nose or hear anything anyone said and not being a very good lip reader.

[HuckleB]

83. Well, I haven't met your parents in clinic.

But over time, it tends to be those of a more liberal persuasion who understand the bigger picture more holistically, who are more willing to be a part of the treatment team and process, and who understand that there are no easy answers and that the etiology of the issues are often difficult to surmise, etc... etc...

I just see the "quick fix it" (in mental health and in health care in general) mentality coming from today's brand of Republican far more often than even those who are politically inactive.

[neebob]

84. Psychology is like any other science

in that it operates on consensus. The scientists observe and test and accumulate proof of a hypothesis, which is debated and eventually accepted (or not) by the majority. The problem with psychology is, unlike things that function in accordance with physical or mathematical laws, the thing being observed is inside people’s heads and the laws by which it functions have yet to be discovered. So the scientists have to rely on observable behaviors.

That’s the problem with the DSM-IV criteria: Except for a few instances of reported thoughts and feelings, they hinge on observable behaviors. They don’t provide a complete picture of any given disorder, there are many similarities between disorders, and individuals can be diagnosed with multiple disorders.

There are only so many disorders, and those who define them are human and fallible. I certainly don't want wingnuts deciding who's mental and who's not.

[vetwife]

85. How much air play did this get?

http://www.khilafah.com/home/category.php?DocumentID=4721&TagID=2

http://www.libertythink.com/2002_11_01_archives.html

[neebob]

93. Well, I'm not sure how the two are connected or why you're asking me

but, um, none?

I remember reading about the Fort Bragg thing several months ago. The issue there is domestic violence, not mental health - unless you assume the husbands were all suffering from some militarily triggered mental illness. Personally, I think the military is a haven for sociopaths and, in wartime, an invitation to destruction for those who are not.

The beeper thing is scary, but my reaction to it is much the same as to the mental health screening. It doesn't take a giant brain to know that GPS is a bad idea for ordinary citizens - at least not those who occasionally disagree with the government.

[HuckleB]

86. OK.

But who says that "wingnuts" will be "deciding who's mental and who's not"? (I wouldn't use the term "mental" myself, but... no biggie.)

Yes, assessment is difficult, and often an ongoing process of elimination and evaluation for those who truly face serious functional deficits from a mental disorder -- once all other possible physical disorders have been deducted from the equation, of course. And, yes, the DSM-IV is a very fallible tool, a tool which must be updated more frequently to address new research, especially that coming from the neuroscience end of things.

Still, when you've got practitioners who understand all this, many people benefit from treatment, leading to more functional and happier lives, and children's development moves along on a more typical pace. This isn't to say that bad practitioners don't exist, nor that bad mental health resources don't hamper even good practitioners. But does that mean we shouldn't treat anyone?

[vetwife]

91. No it means healtcare should be affordable and left between dr

and parent and not the government who feels that someone is mental if they are opininated. I have a disabled VN vet husband who suffers from PTSD. I know there is good mental health available but I also know that he takes over 15 pills a day. After 10 years we finally found a doctor who treats him with something that works. And she listens to what I am saying and he is saying and adjusts accordingly. She is the exception not the rule. Nothing is mandated.
That could all change under this rule of law.

[HuckleB]

99. I'm confused.

I don't understand where this idea that someone has a mental health disorder simply for being opinionated comes from. How did that get mixed up with a proposal for screening for actual mental health disorders?

Perhaps your experience at the VA has been negative. I'm sorry to hear that. However, your description of your husband's current provider matches much closer to the rule than the exception in my experience.

[vetwife]

104. it comes from another link of the same mindset of the

control method. I know for a fact that in 2001 there was discussion at the Gainesville VA to reinstate the Electric Shock treatment and this came from several nurses working there. As far as medical treament, I still hold to my opinion that no one should be forced by this act. What is the motive.? Control! According to Patch Adams, the first person who should be tested is Bush. This is Orweillan and it is not just me that has had bad experience with the VA. The veterans organization in which I founded had over 20 people come to the org and complain that the VA turned away combat traumatized patients in 2001 and sent them to State Mental hospitals. They were denied sleep and food. This is documented. In ONE PARTICULIAR CASE IT TOOK TWO SENATORS AND ONE CONGRESSMAN AND COUNTELESS CALLS TO wASHINGTON TO GET THESE PEOPLE TRANSFERRED BACK TO THE va ONLY TO BE DENIED SERVICES AND SENT HOME. One of which died.

The truth of the matter is I am not a CT. I do not believe all five of those soldiers just simply had domestic problems as I have searched across the web of these war robots going bad. This is not classic PTSD from what I know of the emotional trauma disorder. I also know that several of these non hostile deaths and friendly fire is another soldier off the deep killing his comrades.

I do believe in medications and I do believe they are necessary in people's lives and I think as We the People, have every right in the world to deny those kind of mandated testings. We ned to seek out our own doctors and not have those in power doing it for us. Bush himself said that he felt as though we were 10 years old and he was the Father figure.

As far as opininated...It was stated in one of those links and I cannot remember which, the Frances Farmer case where a labotomy was perfomed in the 30's for an outspoken critic of the govt. was jailed and instituionalized and did have Shock therapy and eventually a labotomy after being called a communist. She was ahead of her time and very opinated ! Before you can rule as a dictator, you must first either gain the people's trust or
control their thinking , enough to walk in lockstep with the fascist
movement.

[HuckleB]

112. Actually...

I am against mandatory testing.

However, I do not see any evidence that the motive is control. It's a desire on the part of those on this commission to increase access to mental health services to the whole of the population, and to promote healthy development to the whole of the population. It is a public health proposal. It may have it's faults, as I have my own criticisms of it. But it is not the sinister deed that so many on these boards purport to make it in order to avoid serious conversation about it.

We can all use past history all we want. We should also acknowledge that health care professionals (the overwhelming majority, anyway) also know this history and are bound by ethics, professional organizations, colleagues, etc... not to repeat it. That doesn't mean it's not something that should be brought up repeatedly in order to ensure that we don't repeat it. However, I can't see how the history of Frances Farmer can be used as justification for dismissing this proposal. I think the mandatory part is wrong, in and of itself regarding basic freedoms. And that's the strongest, purest argument against the mandatory part of this proposal, IMHO.

Further, I am well aware of the issues regarding care at the VA. I have done a great deal of advocacy on this end myself. However, it's difficult to discuss these two matters in conjunction, as they both have many loose ends, some of which may provide clues to what's going on with the other but many that do not.

[neebob]

92. No, it means screening everyone is a bad idea

I think it works better when it's voluntary - more or less, as it is now. And when I say "wingnuts deciding," I'm referring back to the core assumption of this thread, which is that it will be mandatory and is ultimately intended to eliminate or constrain dissent. Someone will have to do the deciding, if that is indeed the intent. I still just don't see it happening.

[HuckleB]

100. Again, what if it's simply optional?

And offered to folks who don't normally have the option?

Further, where does this whole bit about constraining dissent come from? How is that connected to this proposal at all?

[neebob]

103. Whaddaya mean where does it come from?

That's what this thread is about, and it was my original question. The assumption is it'll be mandatory for some sinister purpose - like, say, labeling people who disagree with Bushco as mentally ill. If that is indeed the intent, it would be stupid to participate even if it's optional. And it's money that would be better spent on educational materials, teacher salaries, Head Start, after-school programs, health insurance, you name it.

[HuckleB]

111. Mandatory testing is one thing.

And I am against it.

Labeling people mentally ill simply for their opinions is another. I can't see any evidence that this would be the case, whether such a screening process was mandatory or not. It seems like a concern that someone made up without any evidence to back it up. I'm wondering where the evidence of this "concern" is. I haven't seen it.

Certainly, one can make a strong argument that the money would be better spent elsewhere. I've no problem with such an argument. However, that doesn't mean that the idea that people will be diagnosed for being opinionated has any basis in reality.

[juslikagrzly]

90. Totally agree

except that you need to add power into the equation. In the DSM-IV TR, as with earlier editions, everyday common behaviors MAY be classified as disorders if they supposedly meet the "clinically significant impairment" criteria eg. caffeine use, for god's sake.

I'll say it again, it's a freakin mess.

IMO, the psychology field has already swallowed a lot of the kool-aid with the EST (empirically supported treatment) issue being pushed where it counts; graduate training and internship. We already are seeing the results in the sort of students attracted to psychology. I realize I'm generalizing, but psych students used to be much more comfortable with ambiguity, focused on the therapeutic relationship as key, etc. Nowadays, we get more and more students who don't want to critically think through an issue, or spend time getting to know their client, they just want to know how to "fix" the problem.

Irvin Yalom, a respected teacher, writer, researcher and therapist stated that he was happy to be near retirement age because graduate training is now turning out technicians rather than therapists.

One area we are neglecting to mention in all this is the power of insurance corporations. When HMOs and PPOs first started gaining steam, I got out of private practice. It is MUCH cheaper for an insurance company to cover mental health as long as it's a pill, and not longer-term, more expensive, relationship based talk therapy.

Sad, sad, sad.

[skooooo]

108. Yep, not long ago...

...I was reading freeper responses to this very issue, and their reaction was the same of ours. It was about the only common ground I"ve ever seen between "them" and "us".

[Kanary]

98. Did you read my post about this having passed as law in Illinios?

It's not "how"... it's already happening...

Stretch or not... ask the people in Illinois.

Kanary

[amazona]

110. mandatory screening in the early 60s, no outcry

I was in a school system in the south in the early 1960s which had mandatory screening for mental health issues. There was no outcry in the community whatsoever.

My guess is that anything which has happened before, can happen again.

[CornField]

87. A link to the articles available about the Illinois "pilot" program

http://www.illinoisleader.com/search/default.asp?query=compulsory+mental&x=0&y=0 -- all of those from the Illinois Leader

[mia]

89. Thank you, CornField.

Glad to have more background info :thumbsup:

[stavka]

88. That's how a politically compliant law enforcement is created.

It's what slowed down the civil rights movement in the south. Southern Law enforcement could "comply" with the Federal law, as long as they didn't disagree with it - if they did, they'd just commit murder or turn a blind eye.

[OnionPatch]

95. Just read this post

and wanted to mention that I told two Republican women I work with about this initiative and they were absolutely horrified. I really can't see this ever really happening without support from rank and file RWers. But it sure is creepy.

[porphyrian]

97. No, that started in 2000. - n/t

[mia]

101. A Declaration Of Refusal To Comply...

With Any New Freedom Commission Mandate For Universal Mental Health Screening Of Children In The Schools
http://www.prleap.com/pr_1181.html

(PRLEAP.COM) Our declaration of refusal is a vigorous response to and rejection of the recommendations of the President's New Freedom Commission on mental health policy in the United States, a health policy that would mandate virtually universal mental health screening, including the 52 million children and 6 million adults in the public schools. We prefer to call it the "New Intrusion Commission." Its recommendations are a direct assault on child and family privacy, and a real threat to our children's well-being. Already, about 9 million school age children are on very dangerous psychotropic drugs, all for alleged "mental illnesses" like so-called ADHD, none of which have been validated as real diseases by scientific medicine. The New Freedom Commission wants to even more vigorously pursue the labeling and drugging of our children, by screening ALL children and adults in the public schools (and elsewhere) for signs of possible "mental illness." This really means they are actively pursuing an expansion of the child market for psychiatric pharmaceuticals.

This declaration will be used in our effort to halt the policy recommendations of the New Freedom Commission. We invite all concerned citizens to sign on to this declaration and defend our space to allow our children to grow and learn without labels and drugs, and to make parenting decisions without pressure from various governmental agents.

The New Freedom Commission report states that “Schools are in a key position to identify mental health problems early, and to provide a link to appropriate services.” We know that many of the New Freedom commissioners are linked directly or indirectly to the Texas Medical Algorithm Project (TMAP), which provides formulas recommending specific psychotropic drugs to treat various “mental illnesses.” According to whistleblower reports, TMAP pushes an off-label drug marketing scheme that appears to skirt federal law. We know, therefore, that this commission’s recommendations are intended to encourage an expansion of the fact that “appropriate services” in today’s psychiatric world means psychotropic drugs, and that there are already an estimated 9-million school-age children on psychiatric drugs. We consider this to represent a tragic situation, and a clear and present danger to our children.

This extraordinary intrusion of psychiatry into our schools shows a blatant disregard of the public will, as demonstrated in the first four years of this millennium by a number of resolutions, education department statements and state laws, all defending a parent’s right to make treatment decisions for a child without coercion, and a child’s right to education without psychiatric labeling and drugs. Through 2003, there have been at least 46 state bills or resolutions supporting parental choice, in 28 states, that have either passed, or are still pending action, across the United States.

more

[rman]

102. "New Freedom Commission"?? how Orwellian can they get? n/t

-

[vetwife]

106. Here is the Executive order

President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health
Executive Order




By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to improve America's mental health service delivery system for individuals with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Establishment. There is hereby established the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (Commission).

Sec. 2. Membership. (a) The Commission's membership shall be composed of:

(i) Not more than fifteen members appointed by the President, including providers, payers, administrators, and consumers of mental health services and family members of consumers; and

(ii) Not more than seven ex officio members, four of whom shall be designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the remaining three of whom shall be designated -- one each -- by the Secretaries of the Departments of Labor, Education, and Veterans Affairs.

(b) The President shall designate a Chair from among the fifteen members of the Commission appointed by the President.

Sec. 3. Mission. The mission of the Commission shall be to conduct a comprehensive study of the United States mental health service delivery system, including public and private sector providers, and to advise the President on methods of improving the system. The Commission's goal shall be to recommend improvements to enable adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities. In carrying out its mission, the Commission shall, at a minimum:

(a) Review the current quality and effectiveness of public and private providers and Federal, State, and local government involvement in the delivery of services to individuals with serious mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbances, and identify unmet needs and barriers to services.

(b) Identify innovative mental health treatments, services, and technologies that are demonstrably effective and can be widely replicated in different settings.

(c) Formulate policy options that could be implemented by public and private providers, and Federal, State, and local governments to integrate the use of effective treatments and services, improve coordination among service providers, and improve community integration for adults with serious mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbances.

Sec. 4. Principles. In conducting its mission, the Commission shall adhere to the following principles:

(a) The Commission shall focus on the desired outcomes of mental health care, which are to attain each individual's maximum level of employment, self-care, interpersonal relationships, and community participation;

(b) The Commission shall focus on community-level models of care that efficiently coordinate the multiple health and human service providers and public and private payers involved in mental health treatment and delivery of services;

(c) The Commission shall focus on those policies that maximize the utility of existing resources by increasing cost effectiveness and reducing unnecessary and burdensome regulatory barriers;

(d) The Commission shall consider how mental health research findings can be used most effectively to influence the delivery of services; and

(e) The Commission shall follow the principles of Federalism, and ensure that its recommendations promote innovation, flexibility, and accountability at all levels of government and respect the constitutional role of the States and Indian tribes.

Sec. 5. Administration. (a) The Department of Health and Human Services, to the extent permitted by law, shall provide funding and administrative support for the Commission.

(b) To the extent funds are available and as authorized by law for persons serving intermittently in Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707), members of the Commission appointed from among private citizens of the United States may be allowed travel expenses while engaged in the work of the Commission, including per diem in lieu of subsistence. All members of the Commission who are officers or employees of the United States shall serve without compensation in addition to that received for their services as officers or employees of the United States.

(c) The Commission shall have a staff headed by an Executive Director, who shall be selected by the President. To the extent permitted by law, office space, analytical support, and additional staff support for the Commission shall be provided by executive branch departments and agencies.

(d) Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, may apply to the Commission, any functions of the President under that Act, except for those in section 6 of that Act, shall be performed by the Department of Health and Human Services, in accordance with the guidelines that have been issued by the Administrator of General Services.

Sec. 6. Reports. The Commission shall submit reports to the President as follows:

(a) Interim Report. Within 6 months from the date of this order, an interim report shall describe the extent of unmet needs and barriers to care within the mental health system and provide examples of community-based care models with success in coordination of services and providing desired outcomes.

(b) Final Report. The final report will set forth the Commission's recommendations, in accordance with its mission as stated in section 3 of this order. The submission date shall be determined by the Chair in consultation with the President.

Sec. 7. Termination. The Commission shall terminate 1 year from the date of this order, unless extended by the President prior to that date.

GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
April 29, 2002

[amazona]

109. well they did this in Soviet Union and last time I looked USSR did fall

I'm sure the program will be used to drug and lock away dissidents just as it was in the old Soviet Union but as far as "beginning of the end," it is just the beginning of the beginning. The resulting civil war will likely go on for a few decades or even centuries before we get back to a nice lifestyle though, even with the fall of USSR, Russia is if anything even more unpleasant than before. But I wouldn't say all hope is lost if we are pumped full of drugs, for some people the drugs will not work and for others it will actually empower their rage and willingness to protest. The U.S. is already too poor to house the truly mentally ill, we don't have room to hospitalize all the dissidents and Democrats as well. As far as being "labeled," most of us who are even minimally politically active are used to being called "hysterical" and other names for many a year. You just soldier on.

[mia]

113. A Declaration Of Refusal - petitions - 4261 so far

http://www.ablechild.org/declaration%20of%20refusal.aspx

We, the undersigned, solemnly declare that we will not allow our children to be the subjects of any form of implementation of New Freedom Commission recommendations to screen our children for signs of "mental illness."....

We have philosophical or moral objections to government-sponsored intrusion of psychiatry into the schools. The legal doctrines of privacy and informed consent reflect underlying value placed on privacy, autonomy, and informed consent. We consider New Freedom recommendations to be a serious threat not only to our educational system, but most importantly to the development and well-being of our children. Therefore, we insist that any New Freedom Commission policy recommendations that put our children at risk for unwarranted intrusion, labeling and psychiatric drugging be immediately discarded.

[genius]

114. Good reason to homeschool.

[mia]

115. Homeschoolers are worried about it too

How does it affect homeschoolers? If first born and parents are screened, who is to say that the government funded mental health care provider will not determine that the parent is mentally unstable or deficient such that the parent is not competent to homeschool, or that such a parent must comply with government directives in order to homeschool? It is not a stretch to think that this is possible, because some state government regulations already prevent foster parents from homeschooling their children.


Regarding opting out - if the government declares that a parent is mentally
unstable or deficient, then the government has a ready made reasonable argument that the parent is not competent to opt out of any services for the parent or for the child.


Throughout all of this legislation cited, there is one key factor - all of the legislation applies to entities receiving FEDERAL FUNDING. Again, this is yet one more example of how the federal government "regulates" or utilizes its governmental "power" even though the U.S. Constitution grants to the federal government limited "powers". Remember, the Tenth Amendment - those powers not delegated specifically to the United States government by the Constitution are reserved to the States or to the people. The federal government does not have the delegated power to screen the population for mental health. It is doing so through the commerce clause of the Constitution by providing federal money. Even "nonprofit" "private" entities that ACCEPT FEDERAL FUNDS are required to comply with the mandates of the federal legislation.


If the screening becomes part of the curriculum of the public schools, and if the public schools, under state law or federal law, are in charge of "approving" the homeschool program for your child, the public school easily could withhold "approval" of the homeschool program unless the homeschool parent complies with the screening....