The position stated in the commentary is that mandatory mental health screening by the state for children 0-18 and women following pregnancy is a bad idea.  The following reader comments are designated as either agreeing, disagreeing or aren't sure where they stand in relation to this opinion.

Listed in order received

Opinion
Hi- We've set up the following http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/icmhp to collect all the information on the mental health screening program. JP (63) Male Chicago, IL

Opinion

This nonsense needs to be stopped. I have been doing battle with many on this subject. There are nothing false statements being made all around the world on this topic. Read the legislation!! You stated to another poster who disagreed, "For pregnant women the mandatory mental health screening occurs during the year following birth." When in fact the truth is that this does not appear at all in the legislation but in another article, "Last month, the Partnership held a series of public hearings around the state to unveil its plan. Recommendations included screening all pregnant women for depression, with in-home visit follow-up." written by Rhonda Robinson, Illinois Leader.com correspondent. The final report of the "Partnership" is due 9/30 so that would make your statement but a rumor, wives tale or whatever but not the Truth. DH (57) M Bronson, MI   Response: The problem is it is mandatory: the word "all" is against everything America stands for.  When it is mandatory, it is not a choice and it puts you into the government system and requires the government OKAY your health. The government has no business legislating "mental health".  That is the issue. If the program were voluntary, it would not be a problem and it would fall under social services.  We have common laws in this country that allow persons complete privacy unless by their actions they show themselves to be a danger to themselves or others.  We don't put people in the system simply because 1 of 100 might have a problem.  That's not freedom.  Mandatory is socialism mixed with tyranny and we are not a socialist country and our freedom to be secure in our own bodies is a fundamental human right in the United States.  Yes people are arguing about this but focus on the core issue: Government mandate of Mental Health and compulsory screening. This is why the legislation is dangerous, however innocent its intentions may be.

Opinion

What do I think of this? Well, I'm not exactly sure.... On one hand, speaking as someone who had severe PPD and didn't care to admit it much less get any help for it (I played like everything was great at my check up), I like the idea of having a program to help identify it and also treat it but any GOOD doctor is already doing that. As far as other mental illnesses, I feel that 'symptoms' can be too easily misinterpreted, even by professionals and that there are too many 'professionals' out there who believe that everything can be fixed with meds or that everyone can benefit from the same treatment when in reality, each case should be individualized. And how far are they going to take this? Are they going to insist that a person that they have deemed 'mentally ill' receive the treatment that they recommend or otherwise loose certain rights as a person? In that respect, it frightens me. As for the screening of the children via standardized tests, I don't agree with this method. I think that there are many children out there who could benefit from psychological treatment that don't get it because no one sees the need for it or are afraid to speak up about it but I don't think that standardized tests will do the trick. How many children will be answering the questions just to answer them or misunderstand the questions, etc. giving the impression that something is wrong when it's not or that everything is fine when it's not? I think that it may be more beneficial to have the school psychologists observe the children in the classroom looking for signs (there are always signs) that there may be something amiss and then do their testing from there and have it tailored to the individual situation. I don't know- I think this law has the potential to really screw up a lot of lives- JMHO. DS, (F) 34 Chillicothe, IL USA

 

Opinion

It's ironic that your reader feedback form insist that facts must be supported by sources when you obviously have not read the Children's Mental Health Act but choose to spread unverified disinformation. I'm looking at a copy of the act and nowhere does it mention pregnant women. The only screening for children is designed to PREVENT inappropriate and unnecessary psychiatric hospitalizations. The main purpose of the act is to set up a task force to study children's mental health issues with public input and develop a plan. Any recommendations in the plan will have to survive the legislative and appropriations process in a state that has one of the worst mental health funding records in the country. There are enough legitimate problems with our mental health system without making them up. If you're serious about checking your facts, an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf file) version of the act is available at: www.isbe.net/spec-ed/mental_health/cmh_act.pdf Response: Thank you for providing the link to the information. We didn't make up anything and the information came from interviews with people attached to the legislation and mental health experts on from the Chicago Leader Newspaper and we did verify with them before posting.  We simply pointed out why it is a bad idea.  They stand by their story and so do we. You may want to re-read the original article.  For pregnant women the mandatory mental health screening occurs during the year following birth.  But even that is really missing the point. The state should never be allowed to decide who is healthy and who isn't unless that person proves to be a danger to his or herself or a danger to society.  We do not punish people in this country for possibility; we only punish or seek help for actions.  Funneling someone into the mental health system, is punishing.  It is control and it is unnecessary not to mention, expensive for the taxpayers. The problem with this legislation is People do not have a choice.  It would be wonderful if the State of Illinois offered this to anyone who wanted it free of charge and we'd applaud that.  But they're not.  They remove choice. When you don't have a choice, you don't have freedom and that is like the state saying you do not have the ability to decide if you need help or not.  Making it available by choice, that changes the entire argument.  By requiring it for everyone, that makes it wrong. It's an invasion of privacy and it places the state in charge of every person's mental health, every person that is if you're under eighteen or a woman who gets pregnant and carries a child to term.  Optional, okay.  Mandatory, no way. Thanks for your comments:)