Mental Health Victory


Huge Mental Health Victory for MN Families


Minnesota parents & children protected from mental health coercion &
universal screening

Issues and Action in Education

An e-letter produced
by
EdWatch, a nonprofit organization.


July 18, 2005

 

      In two enormous setbacks
for the mental health establishment (the pharmaceutical industry,
professional organizations, and mental health front groups), universal
mental health screening “at least once by age 3” was defeated as part of
mandatory kindergarten screening in the 2005 Minnesota legislative session.
In addition, thanks to the incredible work of House Republican negotiators
and the informed, persistent work of EdWatch, Minnesota becomes the first
state in the nation to prohibit schools from coercing parents to either
medicate their children with psychotropic drugs OR submit them to mental
health screening.

[Note: The EdWatch update of July 5th that reprinted the article

“New law can’t force meds on kids”
referenced changes to a federal law (IDEA) that applies only to special ed
students.]

No Mental Health Screening
for Toddlers        


The Minnesota Senate Democrats, acknowledging and
supporting the

New Freedom Commission’s recommendation for universal
mental screening, did their best to require mental health
screening for children as young as three years for kindergarten entrance.
The legislation wanted to screen children’s “socioemotional development” to
the long list of mandated screening items, not just by kindergarten entrance
at age 5, but moving the age down to “at least once by age three,” which
could conceivably have meant at birth.
 
        The definition of “socio-emotional development” was
also incredibly vague. It said:

“For purposes of this section,
socio-emotional screening means assessing a child’s ability, in the
context of family, community, and cultural expectations, to (1)
experience, control, and express emotions; (2) form close and secure
interpersonal relationships; and (3) explore and experience surroundings
and learn from them.”


        It is impossible to accurately or fairly assess any
of these criteria, especially in very young children. The

Surgeon General Report on Mental Health.
(1999. p. 1-5) confirms this when it says, “In other words, what it means to
be mentally healthy is subject to many different interpretations that are
rooted in value judgments that may vary across cultures.” 
        
        If this legislation had passed, it would have opened
the door to incredible government intrusion into the lives of families by
producing massive data collection of very personal and private information.
It would have also screened these young children and their families based on
political and religious values, attitudes and beliefs in the “context of
family, community, and cultural expectations.” 

        Minnesota would have followed in the steps of
Illinois. As of June 30th, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has on his desk
the state’s final plan to “increase early intervention and mental health
treatment services and supports for children: Ages 0-5 years…”  Thanks to
the efforts in Minnesota of dedicated legislators, and thanks to the phone
calls, visits and emails of many, many constituents, Minnesota did not
descend down that path.

Groundbreaking Protection of Parents and Children Against Coercion       


 In 2001, Minnesota was the second state in the nation
to pass a prohibition against school-led coercion of parents to drug their
children with sympathomimetics, meaning stimulant medication like Ritalin
and Adderall.  That legislation stated that a parent could not be charged
with educational neglect for refusing these drugs. It was authored by
Representatives Barb Sykora and Sondra Erickson, among others, in the House,
and by Senators Tom Neuville and Michele Bachmann, among others, in the
Senate.  

        Since passage of that prohibition in 2001, continued
incidents of coercion around the nation using other types of charges and
other types of drugs, such as antidepressants, have come to light. The FDA
has since then issued warnings on the ineffectiveness and dangers of
psychotropic medications. In addition, mental health screening rapidly rose
to prominence following the release of the

New Freedom Commission on Mental Health,
which recommends universal screening “across the life span.” All of these
developments clearly demonstrated that this very good and important 2001
legislation needed expansion.

        Rep. Jim Abler introduced an amendment to this year’s
education bill with encouragement from EdWatch. He also had strong support
from other members in during both the committee hearing and conference
committee negotiations. That amendment stated:

“Consistent with section 125A.091,
subdivision 5, a readmission plan must not obligate a parent or guardian
to provide psychotropic drugs to their student as a condition of
readmission.  School officials must not use the refusal of a parent or
guardian to consent to the administration of psychotropic drugs to their
student or to consent to a psychiatric evaluation, screening or
examination of the student as a ground, by itself, to prohibit the
student from attending class or participating in a school-related
activity, or as a basis of a charge of child abuse, child neglect or
medical or educational neglect.”


        Changing to the word “psychotropic” covers all
psychiatric medications, not just stimulant drugs. This and a complete
prohibition of coercion of parents with charges of abuse or neglect or
exclusion from school or activity makes the Minnesota law the strongest and
best mental health anti-coercion law enacted in the entire nation.  To our
knowledge, Minnesota is also the only state in the nation that protects
children and parents from mental health screening coercion. Sadly,
Republican governors Jon Huntsman and Jeb Bush vetoed excellent bills with
similar language that passed the Utah and Florida state legislatures,
respectively. These governors gave away family rights to privacy and freedom
of thought and gave in to the powerful pharmaceutical lobby and the rest of
the mental health establishment.

Thank You!! Please Help Us Continue the Fight!!

Federal legislation, HR181

        Many other states are facing the same battle
over mental health coercion and universal screening as Minnesota faced this
year, and Minnesota will face these issues repeatedly in future legislative
sessions. For that reason, Texas Congressman Ron Paul has gained the support
of 44 co-sponsors for a bill

(HR 181) that forbids federal funds from being used for any mental
health screening of children without the consent of parents.  Eight of the
co-sponsors signed on in June.
 

ORDER TODAY!


Universal Mental Health Screening Packet (Click Here)

This packet provides the informed
citizen with hardcopies of nine (10) informative articles on the push
for universal mental health screening, by five nationally recognized
authors. This packet also includes a CD which has copies of all the
articles plus a PowerPoint presentation and a radio interview by Dr. Karen
Effrem.

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