TeenScreen - an eye-opening report

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[sSRI-Research] TeenScreen - an eye-opening report posted on

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TeenScreen - an eye-opening report posted on Sierra Times

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Sierra Times

 

http://www.citizenreviewonline.org/july2005/10/teenscreen.htm

 

7/9/05

 

TeenScreen is a very controversial so-called 'diagnostic psychiatric

service' aka suicide survey; done on children who are then referred

to psychiatric treatment. The evidence suggests that the objective of

the psychiatrists who designed TeenScreen is to place children so

selected on psychotropic drugs.

'It's just a way to put more people on prescription drugs,' said

Marcia Angell, a medical ethics lecturer at Harvard Medical School

and author of 'The Truth About Drug Companies.' She said such

programs will boost the sale of antidepressants even after the FDA in

September ordered a 'black box' label warning that the pills might

spur suicidal thoughts or actions in minors.

 

PROCEDURE ON YOUNG CHILDREN

 

Step One - TeenScreen lures kids as young as 9 years old into doing

the suicide survey by offering them free movie passes if they consent

to the procedure. TeenScreen also offers a 'passive consent' form

which requires no written parental approval. The passive consent form

is sent home to parents and if they don't return it TeenScreen

considers that the parents approve. TeenScreen officials favor

passive consent because they say it boosts their chances of screening

kids to 95% as opposed to the written parental consent technique.

What happens if the parent doesn't get the form? They've consented in

the eyes of TeenScreen personnel. One tactic TeenScreen officials use

is to sell the child on the suicide survey first and after they have

the child's agreement, they later contact parents.

 

Step Two - The youngster is sat down and asked introverting questions

such as: 1) Has there been a time when nothing was fun for you and

you just weren't interested in anything? 2) Has there been a time

when you had less energy than you usually do? 3) Has there been a

time when you felt you couldn't do anything well or that you weren't

as good-looking or as smart as other people? 4) How often did your

parents get annoyed or upset with you because of the way you were

feeling or acting? 5) Have you often felt nervous or uncomfortable

when you have been with a group of children or young people - say,

like in the lunchroom at school or at a party? 6) Have you often felt

very nervous when you've had to do things in front of people? 7) Have

you often worried a lot before you were going to play a sport or game

or do some other activity?

 

Step Three - Based on the answers the child gives to the above

questions he is then shuffled off to a 'clinician', who considers the

label to use. Depression? Social Phobia? Panic Disorder? Anxiety?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? Active Suicide Ideation? Passive

Suicide Ideation? IMPORTANT NOTE TO PARENTS: Parents are being

mislead by a multi billion-dollar a year child drugging industry that

a diagnoses of " mental disorder " (ADHD, Bi-Polar, Social Anxiety

Disorder) are medical diseases or illnesses. This is a fraud. No

child has a brain scan, blood test, MRI, x-ray or any evidence of

physical abnormality to verify they are 'ill' or 'diseased.' Yet

psychiatrists continue to pound the public with misleading and

fraudulent statements that these so called mental disorders are

biochemical or neurological conditions. That is false. They are

simply a list of behaviors that psychiatrists vote into existence and

insert into their billing bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical

Manual of Mental Disorders. This has led to over 8 million children

in the U.S. taking mind-altering psychiatric drugs. The Diagnostic

and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV),

published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), is

psychiatry's billing bible of 'disorders' from which psychiatric

screening, diagnoses and their treatment are derived. The current

edition lists 374 psychiatric conditions that have been identified as

mental disorders. Yet, the disorders contained in the DSM-IV are

arrived at by consensus, not by scientific criteria. There are no

tests that can scientifically validate any mental 'disorder' as a

disease or illness. Canadian psychologist Tana Dineen

reports, 'Unlike medical diagnoses that convey a probable cause,

appropriate treatment and likely prognosis, the disorders listed in

DSM-IV are terms arrived at through peer consensus'- literally, a

vote by APA committee members.

 

Step Four - The 'clinician' summarizes his report and comes up with

an 'impairment score'.

 

Step Five - Based on how the child answered the 'suicide survey', and

which label the clinician conjured up and how the child did on

his " impairment score " the child is then sent off for treatment.

 

It is important to note that TeenScreen claims throughout their

literature that 'The TeenScreen Program makes no treatment

recommendations', yet " treatment " is the long term goal for

TeenScreen according to their director, Laurie Flynn. Now what do you

think is in store for a student who has been labeled with some

imaginary 'disorder', has a certain " impairment score " and then is

referred to a psychiatrist?

 

You guessed it. Drugs. A survey of recently trained child

psychiatrists found the treatment for 9 out of 10 children consisted

of drugging. (Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent

Psychiatry 2002)

 

TEENSCREEN - NO EVIDENCE OF WORKABILITY

 

As to studies on TeenScreen itself, the U.S. Preventive Services Task

Force (top U.S. Government Research outfit) report of May of 2004

states: A. There is no evidence that screening for suicide risk

reduces suicide attempts or mortality. B. There is limited evidence

on the accuracy of screening tools to identify suicide risk. C. There

is insufficient evidence that treatment of those at high risk reduces

suicide attempts or mortality. D. No studies were found that directly

address the harms of screening and treatment for suicide risk.

 

TeenScreen has no proof that their survey reduces suicide rates. The

co-director of TeenScreen Rob Caruano says that suicides are so rare

that you'd have to screen the whole country to see a difference in

mortality between screened and unscreened students.

 

TeenScreen was established in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1997. According to a

2003 Tulsa World newspaper article, Mike Brose, executive director of

the Mental Health Association in Tulsa, stated: 'To the best of my

knowledge, this is the highest number of youth suicides we've ever

had during the school year -- a number we find very frightening.'

 

So much for the workability of TeenScreen.

 

SIMPLE MATH

 

According to their 10 year strategy TeenScreen wants to make the

suicide survey available to all American children. Their long term

goal is psychiatric " treatment " of our children.

 

Since 1991, the Columbia University Division of Child and Adolescent

Psychiatry has invested nearly $19 million in the " research " and

development of the Columbia TeenScreen program. Who will reap the

returns?

 

There are 52.7 million (52,700,000) public and private school

students in America.

 

According to TeenScreen, 17% of kids screened (8,959,000) accept

counseling. 17% may be a low percentage, we're only taking numbers

supplied by TeenScreen.

 

9.9% of kids screened are drugged (5,217,300). TeenScreen says less

than ten percent are prescribed some type of drug. Note: This means

that a whopping 60% of kids who accept counseling as a result of the

suicide survey wind up on drugs. Keep in mind these are TeenScreen's

own numbers, actual figures may be much higher.

 

One example prescription for a common psychotropic drug is $15.56 per

day.

 

5,217,300 students (customers) x $15.56 per day = $81,181,188 per

day.

 

$81,181,188 x 365 days a year = $29,631,133,620 annually.

 

That's nearly 30 billion dollars per year in pharmaceutical sales

courtesy of the TeenScreen program. Multiply that by a lifetime of

addiction. No wonder drug companies are tripping over themselves

wanting to sponsor 'Mental Health' Screenings.

 

In Colorado over 350 youths were suicide screened using TeenScreen's

survey. They found that over 50% were at risk of suicide and 71%

screened positive for psychiatric disorders at a youth homeless

shelter. That's not science! That's a dream come true for

pharmaceutical company marketing types and bean counters.

 

THE DOMINOS START TO FALL

 

The Florida Hillsborough County School officials did not feel

comfortable with the information provided by TeenScreen to implement

it anywhere in the district and did not have all their questions

answered by the organization. They stated that TeenScreen continued

to say to others that Hillsborough County had 'partnered' with them

when, in fact, they were only exploring.

 

On January 25, 2005, the Pinellas County School Board in Florida

decided in front of many concerned citizens that TeenScreen should

not be implemented there. School Board member Jane Gallucci said that

she was angry that Laurie Flynn, of Columbia University, told a U.S.

Senate committee on health and education matters 10 months ago that

pilot TeenScreen programs were operating in Hillsborough and Pinellas

counties when they were not. Board Chairwoman Nancy Bostock called

the program, " an intrusion for our students....False labels could

embarrass students and cause turmoil at home. We could seriously do

more harm than good " , she said.

 

Teresa and Michael Rhoades, parents in Osceola, Indiana became aware

that their daughter was 'screened' without any parental consent

whatsoever. TeenScreen used the passive consent form. The trouble is

Teresa and Michael did not receive the form.

 

Teresa became active in informing citizens in her area that

TeenScreen had infiltrated their school system. On February 28th,

2005, the Superintendent recommended in front of concerned parents

that TeenScreen be suspended pending a thorough study and also

recommended that 'passive consent' be abolished.

 

On June 9, 2005, the South Bend Tribune reported that Teresa and

Michael filed papers to sue the Madison Center and also Penn-Harris-

Madison School Corporation. They claim their daughter took the test,

was improperly diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder and

social anxiety disorder. The family intends to seek the 'maximum

amount of damages.' They are being represented by The Rutherford

Institute.

 

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

 

1. Does the Columbia University TeenScreen Program endorse mental

health screening for all teens? TeenScreen states that their goal is

to screen every child in the United States by the time they're out of

high school.

 

2. Does TeenScreen recommend treatment? TeenScreen materials say they

make no treatment recommendations. However, let's pose this question:

If you have a child who's been asked a battery of potentially

upsetting questions, has been labeled with a bogus 'mental disorder',

has been assigned a certain 'impairment score' and then referred to a

psychiatrist, what do you think the treatment will be? When

TeenScreen says they do not recommend treatment it's like the gallows

builder saying he didn't hang that man!

 

3. Is TeenScreen free? TeenScreen's promotional materials claim their

suicide survey is free. Nothing is free. TeenScreen isn't making it

broadly known but they've sold their 10 minute computer administered

suicide survey to Multi-Health Systems, Inc., a Canadian company,

which " publishes numerous psychological assessments " . Starting in

January 2006 TeenScreen sites will have to pay a fee. What if the

teen doesn't have insurance or Medicaid? Pull out your wallet school

districts! Due to liability concerns TeenScreen recommends that you

apply for grants or secure funds to cover the 'services' needed by

the teens.

 

According to a June 5, 2003 Weekly Planet article, Gwen Luney,

assistant superintendent for supportive services and federal programs

at Hillsborough County (Florida) Schools, says TeenScreen would cost

the school district roughly $200,000 a year -- $200K they don't

have. 'We're hesitant to commit to a new program if there's a strong

possibility we'll be seeing some [money] shortfalls. Also, are we

going to find a place for this [diagnosed] child to go? If so, what

if the child doesn't have insurance? Who picks up the cost? Does it

get passed on to the county? It can't be passed on to the school

district. And the liability factor is greater now that you've

identified [the at- risk student].'

 

4. Where are all the TeenScreen Sites? It's all a big secret.

TeenScreen refuses to divulge their locations and has a canned e-mail

message they send out: 'We get a lot of requests from people who are

interested in locating and speaking directly with local TeenScreen

sites and this can become a burden on them. We are not authorized to

give out our sites contact information unless we have requested their

permission to do so. "

 

5. What is 'passive consent'? What does this really mean? Passive

Consent is way to get around written parental consent and an

effective method to get more children screened. Passive consent

requires parents to return a form only if they do not want their

child to participate in the screening.

 

According to TeenScreen, 15% of their programs use this method. They

say they screened 39,080 kids in 2004. Based on their numbers, 5,862

children were screened in 2004 without written parental consent.

 

A federal law known as the Protection of Pupil Rights Act, requires

written parental consent before a child undergoes a survey, analysis

or evaluation. A TeenScreen newsletter discusses making screening a

matter of the schools curriculum as a method to bypass this law and

use passive consent instead.

 

6. What can I do? E-mail your school district superintendent and ask

if TeenScreen has been implemented or if there are any plans to

implement it. Keep things in writing. If the answer is yes, alert

other parents and voice your opposition. File a 'parental informed

consent notice' with your child's school, which is a letter that

serves to require prior written notification from the school

concerning any intent to provide physical, mental health, or social

services/counseling to your child.

 

 

Google Teenscreen for yourself, and do the research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drug-Free School Zone? Just Say NO to Prozac for Children.