TeenScreen Mental Illness Screening In Schools - How Could This Happen?

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By Evelyn Pringle (about the author) Page 5 of 6 page(s)

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According to Mr Kramer, at that time that the FMHI was awarded the federal contract, David Shern, who he refers to as the "dean" of FMHI, already had a contract with TeenScreen head quarters in New York, and had accepted $180,000 to sell the idea of the program to school districts throughout the state of Florida.

In fact, as it turns out, Mr Shern was working on behalf of TeenScreen New York office, while pushing TeenScreen for SAMHSA, and was also working for Eli Lilly on a Schizophrenia study, all at the same time.

Mr Shern and FMHI received funding from drug companies to study antipsychotic drugs totaling $381,664 from one company and $130,416 from another.

According to Mr Kramer, in promoting TeenScreen, FMHI worked together with the "social marketing" firm, Roberts Communications, to do a media blitz in the Tampa Bay area. The goal, he says, was to "foster an environment in Florida, beginning in Tampa Bay, which supports large-scale mental health screening programs for teens."

Among the "target audiences," listed, Mr Kramers says, "were elected officials, school district administrators, community leaders and mental health professionals."

The planned blitz included such goals as: (1) Get the Tampa Tribune to do an editorial series and offer an overview of the "need" for TeenScreen in Tampa Bay; (2) Do a TeenScreen Florida web page; (3) Hold a press conference; (4) Do an "editorial briefing" with the St. Petersburg Times; (5) Come up with a Press Kit; (6) Get Laurie Flynn, the director of TeenScreen and David Shern of the FMHI on the "Kathy Fountain" show, a lunchtime talk show; and (7) Get fundraising done.

The FMHI's plan was to increase the rate of participation in screening. To that end, FMHI agreed to implement TeenScreen in schools, collect information from parents and children, and to employ "Social Marketing" techniques to gather information and determine the most often raised objections by parents to the program.

From this data, Mr Kramer explains, a systematic message and dissemination strategy was to be developed to help sell the program in schools all across the US. He says the bait used to get kids to participate in the screening included gifts like Blockbuster Video cards or $5 in cash or fast food coupons.

On March 22, 2004, unhappy about paying $180,000 and not getting enough bang for the buck, Ms Flynn contacted Mr McDonough. Through formal records requests, Mr Kramer obtained an email to Mr McDonough from Ms Flynn that complained about FMHI's inability to get a program going in Florida after 18 months. She criticized Justin Doan, an employee of FMHI, saying he was "young, full of himself, not politically savvy, had never screened a kid and when he goes into meetings with local school officials he gets into deep water."

Mr Flynn specifically told Mr McDonough that she needed "a horse to ride in on" and needed to get some kids screened. Notably, the email contained not a peep about concerns over children committing suicide because of an inability be screened.

Advocacy groups says kids who screen positive with TeenScreen get drug treatment only. During an interview in 2003, Dr Safer was asked, "what are your thoughts about non-pharmacological approaches to suicide prevention?"

He basically said therapy does not work and recommends drugs. "... psychotherapy is not terribly effective," he said. "So if there really is evidence that certain or all antidepressants can cut this cycle of depression, plus stress, plus this rapid response," he continued, "then that seems to be where the big hope is."

According to the May 20, 2006, National Journal article, more recently, Dr Shafer made the statement that: "The easy availability of alcohol -- not biology -- probably is the main driver of youth suicide."

Which critics say, begs the question of what can either TeenScreen or an SSRI do to change the "availability of alcohol" in society in order to prevent suicide. Does Dr Shafer maintain that there is a drug that will convince a child not to drink alcohol?

A new study published this month in the journal, Pediatrics, contains an equally ridiculous theory, with claims that teenagers who are depressed are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior and may use sex as a way to cope with depression.

This band of pushers is now using this study as justification to screen and drug kids. According to Dr Jocelyn Lehrer of the University of California the study's lead author, quoted by Reuters Health on July 10, 2006, the findings provide "only further reason to increase our efforts to promote mental health, and to prevent, identify and treat depressive symptoms and disorders among adolescents,"

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