Support the Ron Paul Amendment Against Mental Health
Screening
A mendment to federal appropriations bill, HR 3010
Karen R. Effrem, MD
Ed Action Committee
June 22, 2005
Congressman and physician Ron Paul is courageously continuing his fight against
government sponsored and pharmaceutical industry supported universal mental
health screening programs. The Labor/Health and Human Services/Education appropriations
bill, HR 3010, contains $26 million for "state incentive transformation
grants" to fund implementation of the New Freedom Commission recommendations
for universal mental health screening and psychiatric drug treatment. This is
the same amount requested by the President in his budget.
The Paul amendment simply states:
"None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to create or
implement any new universal mental health screening program."
This is a very important amendment. It will protect both children and adults
from invasive screening that is based on vague, subjective, and politically
motivated criteria that will result in labeling with dubious diagnoses. These
diagnoses will follow people for the rest of their lives and will result in
drugging with ineffective and potentially lethal medications. The HR 3010 amendment
supports freedom of thought, as well as civil and parental rights. The bill
will be debated Thursday (tomorrow) and Friday, June 23rd or 24th, with the
amendment coming up late Thursday or, more likely, Friday.
You may click here to send an email to your Member of Congress to ask him or
her to support this vital amendment. Everything is there for you -- a letter
and background information. If you wish to follow up your email with a phone
call or fax, just click here for the numbers.
The fallout continues from the New Freedom Commission's controversial screening
and drugging recommendations. Since last year, when Congressman Paul first introduced
this amendment, much has happened that vividly illustrates the folly and danger
of these screening and drugging programs, including:
* The FDA held hearings on the use of antidepressants and children. The FDA
issued its strongest black box warning after discovering that information on
the lack of effectiveness and dangerous side effects of these medications was
concealed from physicians and the public, sometimes for years. Yet organized
psychiatry is trying to get those warnings removed, because they would rather
conceal the dangers to children than give up the profits.
* The story of Aliah Gleason became public. Aliah, a 13 year old African-American
girl, was forced into a state mental institution, denied contact with her family
for over 5 months, physically restrained over 26 times, and treated with as
many as 12 different psychotropic medications (some simultaneously) without
her parents knowledge or consent, all as a result of a school mental health
screening. (When linking to this story, use code MJZL6Y.)
* Chelsea Rhodes was labeled with two different psychiatric disorders based
on a computerized mental health screening called TeenScreen, given in her school
without her parents knowledge or consent. Her parent, with the aid of the Rutherford
Institute, are suing the school district and the mental health provider that
did the screening.
* A preposterous study was released from Harvard and the National Institutes
of Mental Health claiming that more than 50% of all Americans will be mentally
ill during their lifetime. Even psychiatric experts such as the former chairman
of psychiatry at John Hopkins found that idea very difficult to swallow. The
debate is raging within the psychiatric profession over the boundaries between
mental health and mental illness. "Pretty soon," he said, "we'll
have a syndrome for short, fat Irish guys with a Boston accent, and I'll be
mentally ill."
There is no public support for these kinds of Orwellian programs. A backlash
is brewing. Please let your Member of Congress know that a vote for the Paul
amendment is a vote for freedom. A vote for the Paul amendment is a vote against
government-corporate-foundation special interests. Let your Member of Congress
know that you will be watching closely. Thank you.
DISCLAIMER: EdAction thanks Citizens for Health for their support in the fight
against mental health screening and for the use of this action alert to contact
Congress on this important issue. The views and programs endorsed by Citizens
for Health on their website are not necessarily those of EdAction. If you are
not interested in receiving health information from Citizens for Health at this
time, please be sure to uncheck the box that offers it that is just beneath
the contact information you provide.
Listen to the archived broadcast of a June 20th live radio interview with
Congressman Ron Paul, Dr. Karen Effrem, and Mr. Allen Jones
http://www.mindmattersradio.com/
These three authorities on universal mental health legislation discuss the ethical
and scientific problems raised by screening children for mental health. They
discuss the New Freedom Commission report of 2003, its influence on current
federal legislation, and the role of the pharmaceutical industry in plans to
screen the U.S. population for mental health.problems.