Support the Ron Paul Amendment Against Mental Health Screening

[Guest guest]

EdAction

105 Peavey Road, Suite 116

Chaska, MN 55318

952-361-4931

http://edaction.org

 

 

June 22, 2005

 

 

 

Support the Ron Paul Amendment Against Mental Health Screening

E-Action on amendment to federal appropriations bill, HR 3010

Karen R. Effrem, MD

 

 

 

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.