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TeenScreen - Prescription Drug Pusher In Schools
By Evelyn Pringle (about the author) Page 6 of 7 page(s)
According to the web site of the "Obsessive Compulsive Foundation," OCD medications are SSRIs but they only control symptoms, and do not "cure" the disorder. "This means," the Foundation says, "that the positive effects of an anti-OCD medication only occur as long as the drug is being taken."
And even while taking medications, the group points out that some symptoms continue but are less severe. The web sites explains that all medications work slow and "it may take up to two or three months to see improvement in the OCD."
"Also," it continues, "ongoing improvement of OCD may continue between 12 weeks and one year after starting medication."
"Optimal duration of treatment for OCD in children is unknown," according to the Foundation. "Many clinicians recommend 9 to 18 months of treatment after symptom resolution/stabilization," the web site says, "followed by a very gradual decrease in dosage."
So for starters, the Rhoades' family would be looking at about $350 a month, times a middle number for an average of 12 months, which would amount to $4,200 a year for the OCD disorder alone.
However, according to the foundation, relapse when the medication is stopped is common. So, by using TeenScreen to diagnose Chelsea with OCD, critics says, she was set up to become a life-long customer for Big Pharma.
While testifying before Congress, Ms Flynn told the panel that "close to 750,000 teens are depressed at any one time, and an estimated 7-12 million youth suffer from mental illness."
Using these numbers, the estimated drug sales that TeenScreen might generate, could be determined by multiplying that numbers of students by $4,200 a year per child, keeping in mind that the figure only represents one disorder per child, although Chelsea was diagnosed with two.
However, in the case of the Rhoades' family, there will be no prescribing of mind-altering drugs and Big Pharma is not getting a dime because Chelsea's parents refused to buy into the TeenScreen insanity.
In fact, when they heard about the Teenscreen testing and their daughter's diagnosis of mental disorders, they were more than a little upset. "I was absolutely outraged that my daughter was told she had these two conditions based off a computer test," Teresa Rhoades said.
So outraged in fact, that the family filed a federal lawsuit against the school district and the Madison Center, the psychiatric facility that screened Chelsea without her parents knowledge or consent.
Attorney, John Whitehead, points out that parents have a fundamental constitutional right over the care, custody and control of their children, absent some showing of abuse or neglect and for those parents who want to protect their families from this latest assault there are some immediate steps that can be taken to combat the problem.
First, he tells parents, learn your rights under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, a federal law intended to protect the rights of parents and students that allows parents to inspect their children's instructional materials and requires that schools obtain "written parental consent" before schools engage in programs like mental health screening.
He also advises parents to contact school officials and demand to be notified immediately if they are conducting mental health screening on their children and to also contact their representatives in Congress and "protest these invasive activities that are being foisted on unsuspecting students and families."
Activists against TeenScreen have posted an petition on the internet which they plan to send to federal, state and local lawmakers. Persons interested in signing can click on the following link: http://www.petitiononline.com/tscreen/petition.html
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