Analysis: Repair
of NJ's Mental Health System Must Not Be Linked to Forced Mental Health
Screening of Students and Teachers In Public Schools Nor to Pressure to Medicate
by Bob Witanek
Advocate@StudentAdvocate-NJ.org
http://StudentAdvocate-NJ.org
NJ Mental Health Task Force
Information
In his very first day as Acting Governor of New Jersey, Richard Codey (D) signed an executive order creating a Mental Health Task Force to coordinate repair of NJ's mental health delivery services that is sorely needed. The resolution is here.
Readers should be aware of the current US Administration’s "New Freedom Commission." Like the NJ commission initiated by Acting Gov. Codey, many of the goals of the presidential commission are laudable on the surface. However, some of the goals are in this writer’s opinion quite insidious. For example, “The president's commission found that "despite their prevalence, mental disorders often go undiagnosed" and recommended comprehensive mental health screening for "consumers of all ages," including preschool children. According to the commission, "Each year, young children are expelled from preschools and childcare facilities for severely disruptive behaviours and emotional disorders." Schools, wrote the commission, are in a "key position" to screen the 52 million students and 6 million adults who work at the schools.
The commission also recommended "Linkage [of screening] with treatment and supports" including "state-of-the-art treatments" using "specific medications for specific conditions." See http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/328/7454/1458
The New Freedom Commission is couching its bid to force mental health screening and possibly coercive medication of children and adults alike in the language of advocacy for children with disabilities. We need to keep our eyes open in such circumstances.
For more information on this presidential commission, simply do a search on "New Freedom Commission."
http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=slv1-wave&p=%22New+Freedom+Commission%22
The government
website is here:
www.mentalhealthcommission.gov
This writer is not questioning the very painful and private decision made by
parents or those who suffer from mental illness or disorders to turn to
medication. However, caution is urged for any mental health screening
mandated by the US government using the public school system as conduit. It is
also disturbing that the federal commission links the screening to treatment
including medication.
In most cases, the decision to seek mental health screening for an adult or a child and the decision as to how to address any issues being experienced, including the use of psychotropic medications, should be a private decision for a family or individual to make. Many parents come under improper pressure from school districts to turn to medication to address behavioral and other issues in their children. To bring the federal government into the mix is a scary thought.
What does this have to do with the NJ commission? Indeed the state of mental health services and support in NJ is in need of massive repair. The goals of this commission as spelled out in the resolution establishing it are apparently quite appropriate. However, consider the following. Here is what the pro-mental health Bazelon Mental Health Policy Reporter stated in a July 9th article:
“The (House) Subcommittee approved $20 million for the State Incentive Transformation Grants (SIGs)—critical new federal dollars to begin realizing the vision of the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. However, the President had requested $44 million for the grants, so $24 million would still be needed to fund the grants at that level without taking money from other mental health priorities.
Under the President’s proposed budget, 14 states could receive grants in fiscal year 2005. In anticipation, some states have already formed commissions tasked with developing plans to restructure their crumbling public mental health systems into efficient, effective and "seamless" service-delivery systems for adults and children with mental health needs.
While the grants won’t fully address the dire need to reform disintegrating state mental health systems, even limited funding of the SIGs is a vital first step toward realizing the Commission’s important vision of a transformed public mental health system. “
The above passage clearly describes the commission Acting Gov. Codey has initiated. The commission as described in the resolution is all good. However, that the commission is part of a nationwide effort directed by the US Administration to force mental health screening linked to treatments including medication, using public schools as a conduit, is an alarming development. I urge caution by all.
Perhaps pressure
should be brought to bear to call for an amendment to the executive order
resolution that repudiates the portion of the New Freedom Commission calling for
forced mental health screening linked to medication in public schools. We
should call upon NJ to pledge to reject participation in that aspect of the
federal commission.
This writer welcomes your feedback. Send comments to:
Advocate@StudentAdvocate-NJ.org .
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