Psychiatric Drugs: TeenScreen Draws Criticism, Legal Challenge

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TeenScreen, a program to screen America's school children for "mental illness" to be treated with often addictive drugs prescribed by a pharma-driven treatment algorithm, is making waves. The parents of a girl who was given a questionaire and subsequently diagnosed with obsessive compulsive and social anxiety disorder are up in arms about the testing and say they will take all legal remedies available to them. Evelyn Pringle discusses the case and the screening program's backgroundhere.

According to a recent message of Vera Hassner Sharav of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, the parents have found a good lawyer to take on the case:

The high profile civil libertarian Rutherford Institute has taken up the case of Mike and Teresa Rhoades whose15-year old daughter was screened in her Indiana school for mental illness -- without their permission. John Whitehead, the founder of the Institute who is a high profile constitutional lawyer believes that there are "clear constitutional and privacy violations involved."

The aggressive tactics of TeenScreen and its blatant disregard for the rights of parents to make decisions for the minor children is being watched across the nation.

The Coles County (Illinois) Leader reports that the school by-passed parental rights, side-stepping federal laws that empower parents to give permission for their children for medical and psychological issues. Instead the school had the minor child sign an "assent form" whose legitimacy and legal standing will, no doubt, be argued in court -- since parents, not children have the responsibility of making decisions affecting their welfare.

Whitehead, who called mandatory screening an "Orwellian Nightmare" said he considers the opposition to be formidable foes," because of the financial backing of pharmaceutical companies and the Bush administration's support through the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health."

In a previous comment, Hassner Sharav also says that Senators Chuck Grassley and Max Baucus are looking into the pharmaceutical funding, by "educational grants", that seems to have influenced the drafting of the treatment guidelines.

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ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION (AHRP)
Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, and Accountability

Newsworthy developments about the duo-drug promotion scam—TeenScreen & TMAP:

A. The first legal challenge against TeenScreen, the mental health screening scheme that is invading the public school system across the nation, declaring otherwise normal children to be mentally ill, has been filed in Indiana.

The parents of a child who was screened without their permission and deemed to have two mental disorders, have filed intent to sue documents. Once diagnosed with a medical condition, parents who disagree with a prescribed treatment—even if the treatment is harmful—parents often find that their rights to make medical decisions for their child have been overridden by government mental health officials.

Last week a government-sponsored Harvard study pronounced 50% of Americans suffer from mental illness sometimes. But the only evidence of a mental illness epidemic is to be found within the mental health provider industry whose members are trained to secure their employment by discovering undetected mental illness in every man, woman and child who they can stop long enough to ask a few pointed questions.

B. On June 10, 2005, Senators Chuck Grassley and Max Baucus of the Senate Finance Committee issued a Press Release stating that they have asked a number of large drug makers to explain their practice of giving money to state governments and other organizations in the form of “educational grants.” The senators are concerned that the grants are more focused on product promotion than education:

"We need to know how this behind-the-scenes funneling of money is influencing decision makers," Grassley said, "The decisions result in the government spending billions of dollars on drugs. The tactics look aggressive, and the response on behalf of the public needs to be just as vigorous."

Evelyn Pringle has been doing a bang up job connecting the dots that show the money trail behind TeenScreen and TMAP.

TeenScreen, the brainchild of Columbia University psychiatrist, David Shaffer, is run by Laurie Flynn, who previously had been at the helm of NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) when it was co-opted by the pharmaceutical industry. [1]

Pringle reports that in Congressional testimony, Flynn bragged about her associations with government officials in Florida stating:

"TeenScreen Program staff has been working with Governor Jeb Bush to help achieve his goal of reducing suicides in the state. We have specifically collaborated with Jim McDonough, Director of the Office of Drug Control and the state Suicide Prevention Talk Force. In partnership with the University of South Florida we are piloting district wide mental health screening of 9th graders in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties." [2]

“Collaboration” with Jim McDonough, Pringle reports, involved TeenScreen paying him $180,000 to get TeenScreen set up. Furthermore, Pringle reports that in an e-mail to McDonough, Flynn reveals her true objective:

“I'm looking for a horse to ride in here! ... I need to get some kids screened -- if the schools are a road block we are interested in community organizations. Next week we are talking with the Boys and Girls Club in Pinellas. ... I also think we should see if local agencies or businesses could be engaged in "community screenings." [2]

AHRP board member, psychiatrist, Stefan Kruszeuski, MD, who was in charge of investigating Pennsylvania's mental health and substance abuse programs for fraud, waste, and abuse, was fired when he blew the whistle on corrupt relations between the state's politicians and pharmaceutical industry representatives.

Allen Jones, the former inspector with the Pennsylvania Inspector General’s office blew the whistle on pay offs by drug companies to state agencies and officials who were in positions to approve the TMAP practice guidelines. [3] So far the information provided by Kruszeuski and Jones has resulted in the reprimand and fine of Penn’s state’s Pharmacist, Steven Fiorello. [4]

TeenScreen was stopped in Florida, but the TeenScreen/ TMAP strategy poses a threat for every community.

AHRP board member, pediatrician, Karen Effrem, MD, summarized the folly of mental health screening: "Given the very real problems of already existing coercion, subjective criteria, dangerous and ineffective medication, and the failure of screening to prevent suicide ... Congress would be wise to withhold the $44 million requested for state grants."

Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav
212-595-8974
veracare@ahrp.org

References:

1. Pringle, E. TeenScreen - Angel of Mercy or Pill-Pusher for Drug Industry, OpEd News, April 15, 2005

2. Pringle, E. Meet Laurie Flynn: TeenScreen's Top Pusher, CounterPunch, June 6, 2005:

3. See, Allen Jones Report (PDF document)

4. See: Penn State Pharmacist Fined for Ethics Violations & Taking Cash from Pfizer

Evelyn Pringle's latest article: Scoop-New Zealand Independent Media
TeenScreen - The Law Suits Begin

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June 2006: Newly obtained documents detail a milestone in the fight against TeenScreen.

TeenScreen has been using "passive consent" to bypass parents. If a parent did not return the passive consent form to the school, then TeenScreen considered that the parent consented. What about a child who loses the form or a parent who forgets? They consented!

One document, now available here written by TeenScreen Director, Leslie McGuire states:

"Effective August 1, 2006, all school-based sites will be required to obtain written ("active") consent from the parents or legal guardians of minor students." "For some sites, the updated policy and forms will be a departure from the way in which they currently operate, but I want to assure you that we did not make this decision lightly and that we will be available to help make this a straightforward transition for you and your staff."

Notice Leslie says "school based sites". What about the TeenScreen sites in homeless shelters and juvenile detention centers?

Another document:

"TeenScreen's standard forms are designed to meet the consent requirements of the federal Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) which applies to state educational agencies, local educational agencies and other recipients of funds from the Department of Education."

It's about time they finally realized a federal law prohibits passive consent.

TeenScreen Exposed

In a previously obtained e-mail obtained under public records law, a TeenScreen official stated that:

"The Passive acceptance style was mostly discussed to increase the numbers from 50% for Consent (active written parental) to near 95% for Passive."

So this means TeenScreen's business will be cut directly in half by abolishing passive consent.

The consent issue is only one beef parents across the country have had with TeenScreen's psychiatric intrusion. Some other concerns are government intervention into the lives of families, treatment of kids with dangerous drugs after screening, the unscientific nature of the surveys, the fact that 84% of the children come away with a false label and even having these psychiatric tests in schools to begin with.

If you're doing anything to contribute, please continue. If you're not doing anything, please start!

TeenScreen Truth

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A message by Sue Weibert as forwarded by Vince Boehm...

Chelsea Rhoades was "TeenScreened" at her school in South Bend, Indiana. No one explained to her what it was really about and no officials asked for her parents's permission to test her.

Teresa and Michael Rhoades filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the Madison Center, Inc., the psychiatric facility who screened their child. Chelsea, was a normal, happy and active student who gets good grades and helps mentor a girl at school. She came home from Penn High School labeled with an obsessive compulsive and social anxiety disorder.

"I was absolutely outraged that my daughter was told she had these two conditions based off a computer test," said Teresa.

Photo: Teresa Rhoades, right, her daughter, Chelsea, left

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