Mental health plan forums end, parents concerned about findings Friday, July 23, 2004 By The Leader-Chicago Bureau Children required to be screened for mental health problems from ages zero through 18 is an invasion of parental rights, several parents said at task force hearings held throughout Illinois this week. CHICAGO -- Finishing up a week of public forums, the members of the Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership ended early in Chicago today following testimony from an overwhelming number of program supporters who agree that mental health screening is needed for Illinois children ages zero through 18. As a hyphenated sponsor of last year's legislation, State Representative Patti Bellock (R-Wheaton) said she thought that the stigma on mental health problems was fading, and that the new mental health plan's main emphasis was to create an awareness of mental health needs in the state's children. The Illinois plan is the first in the nation to have progressed thus far. "This program will not be voluntary," Paul Schneider of Champaign told the task force. "No one will be exempt. If a family doesn't want to accept the school's evaluation of their child's mental health, what recourse will they have?" Schneider said he is very concerned that pharmaceutical companies will benefit tremendously from having an explosion of young children diagnosed with hyperactivity or ADHD whose parents are told that their children need Ritalin or another psychotropic drug. "Who is going to pay for this and who will determine who is mentally healthy and who is not?" Schneider said. "I'm a business owner, and this worries me." Bellock agreed that questions are likely to be raised as more people learn about the contents of the program, something, she said, she hadn't had time to fully read through yet herself. "I am one of the appointed task force members, but I'm not familiar with all this contains," Bellock said. "There should be a lot of discussion and that's good to get us to the place where we can find consensus," she said. Tragedies like the Columbine shooting are connected to young people who are depressed and with low self-esteem, she said. Studies show that one out of six students suffer from depression, the reason why she believes such a program is so important. The proposed plan says that depression affects a child's ability to learn and increases their propensity for violence, alcohol and substance abuse and other delinquent behaviors. If the plan is implemented as suggested, pregnant women will begin evaluation for depression and will check in during the first year after their expected babies are born. "If anyone thinks they can escape this because their children are not in public schools, they are mistaken," Schneider said after hearing the testimony at the Champaign hearing on Monday. Mental health assessment will be added to the state's physical examination certificate, along with mandatory immunization records. All children in Illinois, unless religiously exempt, are required to have up-to-date health examinations and immunizations for school entry. Schneider said he was also concerned when a woman asked about how sexual orientation would be handled in the program. "She basically bashed Catholics for their strong conviction against homosexuality," he said. The $10 million set aside for the mandatory screening is likely to be simply for the start up, and that's what concerns some who voiced opposition at the public hearings. For others, it was an invasion of parental rights. "We are here reviewing one of the largest recent attempts by the state to subvert, devalue and undermine parental authority in Illinois. 'Subvert' sounds harsh, and we recognize that many hours have been spent by many well-meaning people to draft this 26 page plan. No disrespect is meant, but our concerns must be presented," Karen Hayes, associate director of Concerned Women for America/Illinois told task force members today. The recourse may be minimal for those who are not happy with the program, however. It is already law, signed in to law by Governor Blagojevich last year. A report will be due on September 30, 2004, according to the provisions as they have been set up in the law. On the other hand, a task force member Barbara Shaw told a downstate reporter that, "We heard very different points of view with thoughtful input," Shaw said. "The greatest thing I took out of this today was a reminder to think outside of the box. We don't have to think in traditional ways." Hayes, frustrated that the state legislation became law with little or no fanfare or notice, even from conservative, pro-family lawmakers, suggested at the end of today's testimony, "In summary, it is neither beneficial to children, nor to taxpayers, to ask government bureaucracies to set competency standards for mental health. "With some amount of lightheartedness, may I propose that the mental health of the perpetrators of this concept be evaluated?" end of Leader article
