Mandatory Mental Screening for Children?!

[peelingchrome]

Starting soon, possibly in your neighborhood, the government plans to start mental healfh screening of young children. They'll probably start with a few test locations and then slowly expand.

If you don't believe me:

http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/repo.../FullReport.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Freedom_C...n_Mental_Health

Is anyone else as incensed or afraid as I am? I wanna know why. I wanna know who benefits. I wanna know who gave our government the right to do this. WTF!? When I was a kid, I was labeled as hyper but it's because my teachers were boring. Now they drug kids for this very same thing. Are they gonna start drugging every kid who is bored in class!?

[Rev.Reverence]

I rue such a day.

[TitsMcGee]

Starting soon, possibly in your neighborhood, the government plans to start mental healfh screening of young children. They'll probably start with a few test locations and then slowly expand.

If you don't believe me:

http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/repo.../FullReport.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Freedom_C...n_Mental_Health

Is anyone else as incensed or afraid as I am? I wanna know why. I wanna know who benefits. I wanna know who gave our government the right to do this. WTF!? When I was a kid, I was labeled as hyper but it's because my teachers were boring. Now they drug kids for this very same thing. Are they gonna start drugging every kid who is bored in class!?

Apparently they feel the need to diagnose more kids with ADD or something. I am rather disturbed on this one, I've been in the psych ward with 6 year olds who had nothing more than ADHD but somehow got sent to hell with the rest of us.

[Rayne]

I, honestly, think it's a good idea. They would catch things earlier on ... and get the kids who's parents are ignoring the fact that there is something wrong.

I have a child with severe psychological disorders and another one of my kids is high functioning Autisitic.

[Destroit]

WOW...not my children (if I had any).

My whole life my teachers were calling me "problematic" and "ADD" and that I needed to be on ritalin. My mom, being an educated teacher, realized that they were full of shit. They just wanted an easy way out. Anytime a teacher/therapist/doctor calls a kid ADD 90% of the time it's just because they're looking out for THEIR interests not the child's. Elementary school teachers would just LOVE a class full of little zombies just sitting there drooling on their homework, so I knew this was coming eventually.

My mom was a saint, she said to my teachers "she's not ADD or ADHD...she's just an asshole" and punished me instead of putting me on pills.

This whole thing just seems like another ploy to get our kids on drugs...I'm wondering if somehow Big Pharma isn't involved. Hell they've been having an affair with our government for like the past 30 years and got married to the food and agriculture industry just recently, I wouldn't be surprised if somehow they paid off the schools too. Meh...that's delving a bit, I know, but it seems like today anything is possible...

SO...the fact that I wasn't put on drugs that stunt my brain and poison me at an early age is awesome. That's all I gotta say. Everyone that I know who's been on ritalin their whole childhood get to be an adult and either "HAVE" to stay on the poison...or basically can't function because they never LEARNED how. Holy shit...LEARNING how to live life and be functional? Like we ever teach our kids that now-a-days . Yeah...those people can have fun with that, I plan on living.

Ritalin just "fixes" the problem...doesn't teach a kid how to behave. Sitting your kids down and talking to them teaches them how to behave. Having other kids in class make fun of them helps them behave (worked for me, I'm glad looking back that I sustained so much abuse from other classmates because it made me as invisible as I am today. Being made fun of makes you a better person in the long run, FACT.), making them write 5,000 sentences which takes up their entire weekend saying "I will never pull another kid's chair out from under them again" (I had to write that one in fourth grade ) teaches them to behave, teachers that work actively with parents (i.e. doing their job, oh so rare now in the 21st century) and relaying information to them so they can follow through with punishment at home teaches your kids to behave.

Popping a pill teaches your kid that there's an easy way out of everything in life. It teaches them that they're "special" and need "special treatment" when in all actuality all of us are equally special and nobody needs special treatment and they sure as HELL won't get anything like that in the real world. It teaches them that their parents don't care enough to sit them down and actually raise them. It teaches them to pop PILLS...which is bad when they get to be a teen. ALL of my E-tarded friends in high school were on ritalin when they were children, trust me, it does correlate.

I stand as proof that you don't need to medicate ADD/ADHD kids. Every teacher I've ever had up until 6th grade pushed to try and get my mom to put me on ritalin. I was SUCH A HORRIBLE and PROBLEMATIC child that one of my teachers hated me so much she said to my mother, in front of me, I'd only ever turn out to be a social outcast who was in an out of prison all the time.

Parenting: It's about DISCIPLINING and MOLDING your children...not DRUGGING them up and poisoning their precious growing brains with man-made thought disabling bullshit.

90% of children who have behavior problems can be worked with and molded into fully functioning people without a single poison pill...the sad part is that a good amount of parents would just rather pop their kid a poison pill than actually have to do their job and raise their child. Imagine .

I can't fully discredit using meds, I did meet a 7 year old boy on my cousin's side of the family who was SO psychotic he HAD to be put on meds or else he would have killed himself and his family too. Brutally fucking insane. It's rare instances like that when meds should be even thought of being used, but if your kid is hyper and has a behavior problem, it's called BEING A KID.

That's why I'm against this whole measure...just another way for the government to try and get your kids on horrible poisoning drugs so they can make money and the teachers don't have to do anything. They don't give a shit about your kids - we live in America, it's all about the money and taking the easy way out. It's such a sick sad fucking world.

[Guest GodfallenPromos]

touch any child I would have with the intent on giving him psych meds that he didn't need....and I touch your head to the nearest brick wall....several times....nuff said.

[phee]

touch any child I would have with the intent on giving him psych meds that he didn't need....and I touch your head to the nearest brick wall....several times....nuff said.

I am glad that was included

[Destroit]

touch any child I would have with the intent on giving him psych meds that he didn't need....and I touch your head to the nearest brick wall....several times....nuff said.

Man...the thought of you busting some deserving doctor's head into a wall makes me want to MANFAST all over again... But only if they're deserving, of course.

So many of those doctors have messed up so many of my friends. I have someone in my life who's doctor put him on SO MUCH ritalin when he was a child that he CANNOT REMEMBER AN INKLING OF SEVEN ENTIRE YEARS OF HIS LIFE. One minute, he's sitting there, seven years old and LITERALLY the next thing he knew he was 14. Do you know what it's like to blink your eyelids and turn fourteen, not even knowing what happened in the past 7 years? I couldn't even imagine.

He is ADD or what have you. Pretty severe case of it. He's an adult now and couldn't be doing better. His doctor ruined his entire childhood, took away seven years of his life that he'll NEVER be able to get back as long as he lives....just so his teachers would be happy and his doctor could line his pockets.

Sick fucking shit. So there's a good example of one of those deserving doctors .

[TygerLili]

When a serious mental illness or a serious emotional disturbance is first diagnosed, the health care provider - in full partnership with consumers and families - will develop an individualized plan of care for managing the illness. This partnership of personalized care means basically choosing who, what, and how appropriate health care will be provided:

Choosing which mental health care professionals are on the team,

Sharing in decision making, and

Having the option to agree or disagree with the treatment plan.

I saw nothing in the article that indicates that they would be forcing medications on children without parental consent. There are other ways to treat mental disorders than just meds. I don't think this is wrong, exactly. It might be beneficial in some cases where the parents either choose to ignore that their child has a problem, or won't seek testing and treatment because they can't afford it.

It does seem a little like closing the barn door after the horse gets out, though. If they want to make mental health screening mandatory, then how about mandatory mental health screening for parents before they have children in the first place, and get a better idea of what could affect the child beforehand.

[Guest GodfallenPromos]

I know that not every problem can be handled with "just dealing with it" or even learning to work through it...some people need the meds.

I got a very good friend who has severe psychological problems..has for years...he sees horrific visions all the time and even hears them. The meds he takes are very strong...no, I can't remember what he is on...but they only work on makging the visions not so frequent, and he doesn't hear things anymore while on them.

I've watched him have a freak out in public...and alot of the people that I was friends with at the time just thought that he was some fucking crazy bastard.

and honestly...he is doing better then ANY of those people: he holds down a decent job, has a nice apartment, been in the same happy relationship for ...4 years now (i helped hook them up)...and honestly...he is inspiration for me to not give up on some things, because if he can go through what he has to go through...and can make it...wtf is stopping most other ppl???

MY problem with the system is the majority of doctors don't take everyone on a pure case-by-case basis...they group their patients. I know that in some cases, it's not that way, but I know TONS of people that have had that happen to them. Thats because the doctors get money for certian drugs presribed...or at least they were when I was diagnosed about 6 years ago.

[Destroit]

I saw nothing in the article that indicates that they would be forcing medications on children without parental consent. There are other ways to treat mental disorders than just meds. I don't think this is wrong, exactly. It might be beneficial in some cases where the parents either choose to ignore that their child has a problem, or won't seek testing and treatment because they can't afford it.

It does seem a little like closing the barn door after the horse gets out, though. If they want to make mental health screening mandatory, then how about mandatory mental health screening for parents before they have children in the first place, and get a better idea of what could affect the child beforehand.

True...there's no forcing at all. But doctors will try to convince parents the best they can to put their kids on ritalin and since most people in this country are raised to 100% trust doctors no matter what...I see devastating consequences. I NEVER trust doctors...that's why I figured out how the body works on my own accord and research everything throughoughly for myself. It's sad because 99% of people in this country would rather trust a stranger with their health then themselves.

I also like how you put that there are other ways to treat mental disorders than meds. More people need to realize that medicine should ALWAYS BE your LAST possible resort in the entire world. Yet sadly, many parents use it on their children as their first and last solution.

LOL...btw...your last paragraph...amazing. I never really thought of that. Hell, they do genetic screening for other things like Down Syndrome and Sickle Cell...why couldn't they do it for mental issues? That stuff DOES run in families...

[Guest GodfallenPromos]

I saw nothing in the article that indicates that they would be forcing medications on children without parental consent.

that may be...but most parents are so "scare-tacticed" into the idea of their child becoming some crazed looney that is a danger to society that they will agree to just about anything

personally...they should have "mental therapy basics" classes for parents of children with mental problems...so that way your not "scared" into getting your child "dazed n confused"

[know_buddy_kares]

hm.. gov't brainwashing is trying to move to a younger crowd.. put your kids on meds so you don't have to do the full parenting job!!! zombify them!!

If I ever have kids, I'll never teach them to obey authority mindlessly.. but to always question authority.. and it's fucking sad that most people just roll over and let shit like this happen.

[phee]

For every parent that is over medicating and damaging a child.... I also believe there is one that is not getting their child the help they need....

[Restless Oblivion]

F***ing great, more people to be pathologised from an even younger age. Instead of waisting money on diagnosing children, they should invest in providing parenting classes that include coping skills for parents and behavioural techniques for dealing with 'challenging' behaviour - before it turns into a crisis.

Did you know that only 10% of all mental illness is actually treatable by medication? And think about the financial monopoly that drug agencies hold over each new diagnosis! Mental illness is a very lucrative business if you are in the business of medicating people... or psychoanalysing them until they are blue in the face lol

I wish agencies and powers that be would focus on the positive emotional states and those factors that make us resilient to negative effects. Teach children in schools about wellbeing and happiness and love. Teach people in general about positive thinking and treating eachother with respect and love.

Once upon a time there was no such thing as mental illness, and research shows that those societies who are not in contact with western psychiatric systems fare much better in terms of their overall mental wellbeing because they are not pathologised like people in the west are. For god's sake - these days if you have a lot of energy you have ADHD, if you feel down in the dumps because your cat's just died you have depression, and god forbid if you stress about life in general and where your next pay check will come from then you have an anxiety disorder. We are no longer permitted to experience any extreme emotional states! Even people who are really happy are looked at oddly, and you hear comments such as 'why is he/she so happy - there must be something wrong with them'!

I work within the British mental health system, and yes some cases of mental illness are serious and need specific forms of intervention - but the majority of diagnosis today are psychiatric fabrications and control mechanisms to create a zombie society. A bit extreme perhaps, but why is it that historically it has been those in power and with money that have created the whole culture of psychiatry?

Anyways, I will shut up now. But this is why I love my job, because I can challenge the system and encourage authorities to consider the brighter side of life

[Rayne]

The answer to things like ADHD is not always drugs.

I have seen it. There's behavioral types, where the kid is just ALLOWED to act like that and it continues and there is enviornmental types (caused by situations like too much sugar or too much carbs, or eating things a child is allergic to or sensitive to).

MOST of the time, it's these kids who's parents deny there is an issue. Even despite being told by a doctor that they want to try shifting the kids diet to a more healthy way .... the parents completely ignore it.

I don't think this is any ploy to try to get more kids on medication. I'm a severe advocate for exhausting all other possiblities first. I think this is trying to get kids the help they need before some doctor pushes the drugs on them.

.... and don't get me wrong, sometimes meds are the answer. My daughter can not function in everyday life without hers ... but too often you see an underlying issue in a kid on meds, who's parents ignored the situation until it got to a point where they couldn't handle it anymore.

[Msterbeau]

I think the comments on psychiatric evaluations for wanna-be parents is a much better place to start. Make sure parents are fit to have children first. That said, there will never be a perfect system. People will slip through either deliberately or accidentally. And lets not sit here and pretend that all mental health care workers are going to do a wonderful job. I've seen good ones and bad ones. The bad ones need to go see a therapist themselves....

And meds... have their place, but can you really tell the difference between behavioral problems and mental problems at such an early age? I'm thinking, not yet.

[Homicidalheathen]

My kids first school tried to force me to make them take ritalin to make the teachers job easier or something...dunno...she had it in for me from day one cause of my metal look I think.

She threatened to take me to coart and FORCE THEM

I had them change schools and never a problem, in fact the new teacher said she couldn't understand why anyone WOULD see a problem....and after they changed schools their grades went up...they became more social...

Personally I don't think this is a good idea.

They want to label everything and everyone and limit you and put you in a box

My kids are a-b students now in college and on their own. I knew they were ok...it was that nasty school and that bitch...they were cramming 30+ kids in a room.

Ritalin is just nasty cheap ass speed, not good for kids

[Rev.Reverence]

I think the comments on psychiatric evaluations for wanna-be parents is a much better place to start. Make sure parents are fit to have children first. That said, there will never be a perfect system. People will slip through either deliberately or accidentally. And lets not sit here and pretend that all mental health care workers are going to do a wonderful job. I've seen good ones and bad ones. The bad ones need to go see a therapist themselves....

And meds... have their place, but can you really tell the difference between behavioral problems and mental problems at such an early age? I'm thinking, not yet.

WHOOT!!WHOOT!!!

[peelingchrome]

I saw nothing in the article that indicates that they would be forcing medications on children without parental consent. There are other ways to treat mental disorders than just meds. I don't think this is wrong, exactly. It might be beneficial in some cases where the parents either choose to ignore that their child has a problem, or won't seek testing and treatment because they can't afford it.

It does seem a little like closing the barn door after the horse gets out, though. If they want to make mental health screening mandatory, then how about mandatory mental health screening for parents before they have children in the first place, and get a better idea of what could affect the child beforehand.

I'll have to do more research, but I know I heard of at least one case where it almost happened. There was a hyper kid whose doc reccommended ritalin or something similar, and the mother disagreed. The school threatened the mother with a >child abuse< lawsuit if she didn't! I'll see if I can find the situation, because once there's precedent then we're screwed.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Starting soon, possibly in your neighborhood, the government plans to start mental healfh screening of young children. They'll probably start with a few test locations and then slowly expand.

Yet another step towards the Gov't taking over raising your kid for you or using any excuse to take kids away from their parents "for the good of the children".

Talk about New World Order....!

If I had kids, I wouldn't want the gov't anywhere near them. They have already mismanaged every other program on the planet, yet somehow they are now the "experts" on child-rearing? PUH-LEASE!!!!!

[ttogreh]

LOL...btw...your last paragraph...amazing. I never really thought of that. Hell, they do genetic screening for other things like Down Syndrome and Sickle Cell...why couldn't they do it for mental issues? That stuff DOES run in families...

91 to 93 per cent of Down's syndrome fetuses are aborted. Sickle cell anemics and sickle cell carriers often choose not to have children.

Autism, of which I have a form of, is thought to have at least a congenital aspect, and several genes have been identified to be associated with autism. I am not broken. Albert Einstein did not learn how to speak until he was four years old, and never learned how to tie his shoes. It is highly likely that Einstein was a high functioning autistic.

Please do not suggest that people with autistic traits are diseased or malignant in some way.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Please do not suggest that people with autistic traits are diseased or malignant in some way.

Well put!

I just don't want the gov't deciding what is "diseased" or "malignant." EEK.

We don't pay them to "diagnose" us, we pay them to run manage city services.

[Head Wreck]

i suffered from ADHD and diagnosed at an early age (apparently even in the womb i just would not stop trying to learn to play the double pedal drums).

cutting the utter shite that you find in most foods today did the job better than the suggested course of Ritalin. thank fuck my mum was clued up on this shit, sure I was shear hell for a week or two to begin with but quickly normalised and my height started to catch up with the other kids of the class (well, not all. they bred one or two giants down here the year I was born).

i also suffer from dyslexia. most seem to think its on spelling, grammar and reading. but its more than that. infact my "reading age" was way into the mid 20's leaving junior school age 11, having read all the books in my home library by age 11.

trying to explain even to disability officers in work the impacts of dyslexia physically is highly frustrating, I even stormed into their office once as I had a call from one who spoke to me like you would a very young child.

theres just not enough education on the effects, and emphasis on the bollocks. AND NOT EVERYONE IS THE SAME. what worked for me may not work on others

[torn asunder]

F***ing great, more people to be pathologised from an even younger age. Instead of waisting money on diagnosing children, they should invest in providing parenting classes that include coping skills for parents and behavioural techniques for dealing with 'challenging' behaviour - before it turns into a crisis.

Did you know that only 10% of all mental illness is actually treatable by medication? And think about the financial monopoly that drug agencies hold over each new diagnosis! Mental illness is a very lucrative business if you are in the business of medicating people... or psychoanalysing them until they are blue in the face lol

I wish agencies and powers that be would focus on the positive emotional states and those factors that make us resilient to negative effects. Teach children in schools about wellbeing and happiness and love. Teach people in general about positive thinking and treating eachother with respect and love.

Once upon a time there was no such thing as mental illness, and research shows that those societies who are not in contact with western psychiatric systems fare much better in terms of their overall mental wellbeing because they are not pathologised like people in the west are. For god's sake - these days if you have a lot of energy you have ADHD, if you feel down in the dumps because your cat's just died you have depression, and god forbid if you stress about life in general and where your next pay check will come from then you have an anxiety disorder. We are no longer permitted to experience any extreme emotional states! Even people who are really happy are looked at oddly, and you hear comments such as 'why is he/she so happy - there must be something wrong with them'!

I work within the British mental health system, and yes some cases of mental illness are serious and need specific forms of intervention - but the majority of diagnosis today are psychiatric fabrications and control mechanisms to create a zombie society. A bit extreme perhaps, but why is it that historically it has been those in power and with money that have created the whole culture of psychiatry?

Anyways, I will shut up now. But this is why I love my job, because I can challenge the system and encourage authorities to consider the brighter side of life