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Thread: Important legislation if your a parent

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    God/dess Deogol's Avatar
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    Default Important legislation if your a parent

    Every parent in America should be made aware of a presidential initiative called the “New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.” This commission issued a report last year calling for the mandatory mental health screening of American schoolchildren, meaning millions of kids will be forced to undergo psychiatric screening whether their parents consent or not. At issue is the fundamental right of parents to decide what medical treatment is appropriate for their children.
    Forced mental health screening simply has no place in a free or decent society. The government does not own you or your kids, and it has no legitimate authority to interfere in your family’s intimate health matters. Psychiatric diagnoses are inherently subjective, and the drugs regularly prescribed produce serious side effects, especially in children’s developing brains. The bottom line is that mental health issues are a matter for parents, children, and their doctors, not government.
    Unfortunately, however, the mental health screening initiative received funding from House and Senate appropriators in the 2005 federal budget. This funding allows states to create or expand mental health screening programs with your tax dollars. More importantly, the commission recommends a broader federal program in the near future.
    Last fall I introduced an amendment to eliminate any funding for the proposal in a year-end spending bill. Although the amendment failed, the response to my office was overwhelming and highly supportive. The notion of federal bureaucrats ordering potentially millions of youngsters to take psychotropic drugs like Ritalin strikes an emotional chord with American parents, who are sick of relinquishing more and more parental control to government.
    [snip]

    See the link for more information....

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    And to save anyone interested the Google step, here's the URL for the full report itself:

    http://www.mentalhealthcommission.go...ts/reports.htm

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    OK now I am really glad I moved out of the States before my daughter was of school age !

    This sounds an awful lot like government trying to tinker with peoples brains -- it's one thing to have government sponsered propganda aimed at adults, but trying to get into kids heads. And people laughed at my comparission to DDD tactics used by Rove.... Ha!

    Grrrrrrrrrr!

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    I wasn't one of the people laughing Tigerlilly. The sad thing is this really is only the beginning of Bush's 2nd term, we still have for more years of this shit ! Its only going to get worse before it gets better.
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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    One more reason to home-school my daughter.

    One day, we'll all be looking at Iraq and wishing we had their freedom. Sad, isn't it?

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    I dont see a real big problem with it.

    Isnt it kinda like an SAT or applitude test for kids??

    If a child is mentaly not on the same level as thier peers,isnt it best for them and everyone involved if this was known so attention could be given??

    I admit i didnt read all of that long ass thing,but what i did read,i didnt have a problem with it that i could see.

    Can anyone explain why this is so bad,other then its BUSH,and tell me some real issues they have with this program??
    How is this bad for the kid?
    How is this bad for the classroom?
    How is this bad for the school??
    How is this bad for the childs family structure.

    I dont get it??
    Whats the prob?

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    I've read about this before, I think its a depression and other MH diagnoses screening, NOT a screening to determine intellectual/learning ability.

    Personally, I think it would be a clusterfuck trying to implement this. Its true that a lot of kids fall through the cracks but this is not the answer. All that would probably happen is HMOs will suggest meds, because they hate paying for therapy because its more expensive.

    I think it would be great if there was a nationwide initiative to educate teachers about mental illness in children so they can better recognize kids that need assessment. I think what's being proposed would be a logistical disaster and do more harm than good due to misdiagnoses.


    edited because I can't spell

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    Gee do you suppose this is another republican lead windfall for the drug companies? Let's see, we screen all the kids find out most of them have ADD and the drug company that makes Ritalin makes a few more billion. Isn't it funny that ADD is a condition nobody had ever heard of 30 years ago, but now practically ever other kid supposedley has it?

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    So I guess there's extra money to implement this progrma... but actually improving education is too expensive.

    I may have many faults, but being wrong ain't one of them.

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    Quote Originally Posted by BigGreenMnM
    I dont see a real big problem with it.

    Isnt it kinda like an SAT or applitude test for kids??

    If a child is mentaly not on the same level as thier peers,isnt it best for them and everyone involved if this was known so attention could be given??

    I admit i didnt read all of that long ass thing,but what i did read,i didnt have a problem with it that i could see.

    Can anyone explain why this is so bad,other then its BUSH,and tell me some real issues they have with this program??
    How is this bad for the kid?
    How is this bad for the classroom?
    How is this bad for the school??
    How is this bad for the childs family structure.

    I dont get it??
    Whats the prob?

    The problem is that they are going to "diagnose" a bunch of school-aged children with all kinds of "defects" that will require prescription drugs. How would you like the government coming to your door with a test on your precocious twins and saying..."You know...your daughters have a hard time sitting still in class. We've had them tested by our government appointed psychs...who are being paid by the drug companies...and we recommend a nice hefty dose of Ritalin to calm your daughters down into a stupor so they can sit for long hours during the day. If you do not give your daughter this drug, your child will not be allowed to attend school as it will be disruptive to the rest of the drugged up kids. Have a nice day."

    If that is ok with you, then by all means do it. However, there have been many scientific studies showing that it's not a "mental" state these children are in...but a truly chemical one. ADD, ADHD, etc were non-existant 30+ years ago because the foods/liquids/etc that we consumed were more "pure". These days everything is loaded with preservatives, hormones, steriods, on and on. Change the child's diet...and WHAMO!! Problem solved. I know first hand...2 of my cousins were on Ritalin...and when they were moved to an all-natural, more vegetarian/raw diet...the need for the Ritalin vanished. Funny, eh?

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    "New Freedom Commision on Mental Health"?!?!?

    Christ, Orwell's spinning in his grave like a motherfucker!

    There were plently of processed foods 30+ years ago, though I do believe that ADHD/ADD is way over-diagnosed these days. Especially in children.

    Is it me, or does this ever so gently smack of eugenics?
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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    from the report's executive summary ...

    "Goal 4 - Early Mental Health Screening, Assessment, and Referral to Services Are Common Practice

    In a transformed mental health system, the early detection of mental health problems in children and adults - through routine and comprehensive testing and screening - will be an expected and typical occurrence. At the first sign of difficulties, preventive interventions will be started to keep problems from escalating. For example, a child whose serious emotional disturbance is identified early will receive care, preventing the potential onset of a co-occurring substance use disorder and breaking a cycle that otherwise can lead to school failure and other problems.

    Quality screening and early intervention will occur in both readily accessible, low-stigma settings, such as primary health care facilities and schools, and in settings in which a high level of risk exists for mental health problems, such as criminal justice, juvenile justice, and child welfare systems. Both children and adults will be screened for mental illnesses during their routine physical exams."

    IMHO this amounts to nothing more than 'an ounce of prevention'. After all, many state laws already impose extensive psych procedure requirements ... but only AFTER problems develop which draw the attention of school systems, family courts, and/or local cops. If anything the proposed Federal program would merely rein in self-imposed blue state authority which already exists and create some state to state uniformity in this area.

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    Quote Originally Posted by NinaDaisy
    Is it me, or does this ever so gently smack of eugenics?
    It sure does ! What happened to the Republican party being for less government involvement ??? All I see is an increase in government control
    over the American people.
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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    I agree that greater intervention is always good, BUT MH screening of children is still pretty subjective. It's only been in the last few decades that we've recognized that children have mental health issues (other than schizophrenia and autism, of course). The system that we have now is good in theory but needs some work in practice - why not work on perfecting it?



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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    Half pint retards are not new,we had them back in the clinton years.

    It seems someone is addressing the problem at least.

    If nobody has a better mousetrap,shaaaddddduuuuppppp and follow the leader until you find something better.
    Would Kerry have addressed this problem??If he did,what would be different??

    30 years ago,all the hard to handle kids were "hyperactive",now its ADD and Adhd etc.
    Same thing,different name.

    Maybe this is a cure,maybe it isnt.

    Got any better ideas??

    It seems Bush cant do anything without someone attaching motives behind it.

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    I think my biggest complaint on this is ther is no parental choice.

    My biggest fear on this is more and more kids on meds.

    And it's all just a little to close to weasling with peoples minds for my tastes- and since it would required - well that makes me EXTREEMLY suspicious of the true intent and purpose.

    It's funny to me though, that someone who wasconcerned about a tolerance pledge being optional in schools and yet is ok with having kids "shrinked" without parental consent --- but whatever.

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    God/dess Deogol's Avatar
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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    Stay off drugs! Now take your pill.

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    Default Re: Important legislation if your a parent

    ^ No kidding !!!

    Talk about mixed messages

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