Mental Health Alert...On TeenScreen

For Immediate Release: August 6, 2008

TeenScreen Lawsuit Advances: Federal Court Affirms Family’s Right to Sue School for Subjecting Teen to Mental Health Test Without Parental Consent

SOUTH BEND, Ind.—A federal court has given the green light to a civil rights lawsuit filed by Rutherford Institute attorneys in defense of a 15-year-old Indiana student who was subjected by school officials to a controversial mental health examination without the knowledge or consent of her parents. In ruling that the lawsuit filed on behalf of Chelsea Rhoades and her parents, Teresa and Michael, may proceed to trial, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana upheld the claims that the local school district deprived the Rhoades family of their federal constitutional rights to family integrity and privacy when it subjected Chelsea to the “TeenScreen” examination. A copy of the lawsuit is available at http://www.rutherford.org/PDF/Filed_Complaint.pdf.

“This ruling rightly recognizes that parents have an intrinsic right to control their children’s education, as well as safeguard their mental and physical well-being,” stated John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute.

On December 7, 2004, Chelsea Rhoades, a student at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Ind., was subjected to a mental health examination known as “TeenScreen” by personnel with the Madison Center for Children, a local mental health center. The mental health exam consisted of questions seeking only a “yes” or “no” answer, with no opportunity to explain or offer an alternative response. Only students with an opt-out slip were excused from taking the exam. All other students were divided into groups of 10-15, herded into classrooms and placed in front of computers. After completing the examination and being escorted into a private hallway by an employee of Madison Center, Chelsea was informed that, based on her responses that she liked to clean and didn’t like to party very much, she suffered from at least two mental health problems, obsessive compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder. Chelsea was also told that if her condition worsened, her mother should take her to the Madison Center for treatment. According to Chelsea, a majority of the students who were subjected to the TeenScreen exam were also told they were suffering from some sort of mental or social “disorder.” Chelsea’s parents were not informed about the mental health screening exam until after it had taken place, when Chelsea spoke to them about her so-called diagnosis. In September 2005, Rutherford Institute attorneys filed suit in federal district court on behalf of the Rhoades family, charging that school officials violated Chelsea’s constitutional right to be free from unnecessary intrusions by the state. In rejecting the school district’s attempt to have the case dismissed, the court also ruled that the school is liable for the false diagnosis of mental illness that was given to Chelsea.

Mental health screening exams like TeenScreen have increasingly been adopted by schools in 43 states, reportedly as part of an effort to identify students with mental health problems or at-risk tendencies for suicide that cannot be seen outwardly. However, while federal and state law generally requires that parents grant written consent in order for their children to take mental health screening exams, some schools had relied on “passive consent” forms in order to administer the exams. Passive consent requires parents to return a form only if they do not want their child to participate in the screening. However, according to the federal Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, as well as Indiana state law, schools are required to obtain “written parental consent” before engaging in such programs as mental health screening.

Founded in 1982 by constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead, The Rutherford Institute is an international, nonprofit civil liberties organization committed to defending constitutional and human rights.

YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS:

27,429 Signatures Against TeenScreen.
Make your signature the next.
Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/TScreen/petition.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfU9puZQKBY

Is it just another Psychiatric Drug??

One of the latest rages is to prescribe a drug called Prochlorperazine (marketed under the names Compazine, Buccastem, Stemetil and Phenotil) to pregnant women and chemotherapy patients as a so-called treatment for morning sickness and nausea.

Do your homework on this drug because Prochlorperazine is just another phenothiazine. This class of drugs starting with Thorazine which was first sold in the US 1954 as a “chemical lobotomy” by Smith Kline. Psychiatrists at the time couldn’t distinguish between people on Thorazine and people who had been lobotomized. Phenothiazine: One of a group of tranquilizing drugs with antipsychotic actions thought to act by blocking dopaminergic transmission (messages sent using the substance dopamine) within the brain.

Examples of phenothiazines include: chlorpromazine (brand name: Thorazine), fluphenazine (Duraclon), mesoridazine (Serentil), perphenazine (Etrafon and Trilafon), prochlorperazine (Compazine), promazine (Robinul and Anectine), thioridazine (Seroquel), trifluoperazine (Stelazine) and triflupromazine (Robinul).

People need to know about this drug!!! This is about the ultimate in psych drugs and classed as a “major tranquilizer.” It is the real, full on chemical straightjacket and is intended to and really does do brain damage, not just to the mother but to the unborn and nursing babies as well. It causes some of the worst of all psych drug side effects including involuntary movement disorders (major and permanent) and explosive rage and violence.

Some say that there is a better natural solution such as ginger. You or a young mother might like the candied version of ginger found in the health food store. http://www.thedietchannel.com/Fight-Chemo-Induced-Nausea-With-Ginger.htm

You should consult a competent medical doctor who knows something about this.

Here's the truth...

Eagle TribuneLegislators want to get tough with drug manufacturers
July 20, 2008 By Terry Date
Seventeen state representatives wrote New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte in May, asking her to seek financial compensation from pharmaceutical companies that have improperly marketed or not fully disclosed side effects of antipsychotic drugs.
The petitioners didn't know it at the time, but the attorney general's office had been investigating one of those companies, Bristol-Myers Squibb, since 2004.
Just last week, the state's Medicaid fraud unit announced a $1.2 million settlement with the company and a former subsidiary over several alleged practices, including its marketing of Abilify to treat children and dementia patients, for whom it was not approved.
The $1.2 million is New Hampshire's share of a $515 million national civil settlement, which involved 43 states and the federal government.
The settlement also includes allegations that Bristol-Myers Squibb overpriced various drugs and made illegal payments to doctors to promote the sale of some drugs.
The lead petitioner, Rep. Al Baldasaro, R-Londonderry, said last week that he is happy with Ayotte's progress, but he wants continued action.
Each year, New Hampshire and the federal government split the cost of Medicaid, which helps pay for health care for the needy, aged and disabled, as well as low-income families with children.
What first caught Baldasaro's attention was a huge increase in state spending on newer antipsychotic drugs for children — almost $4 million last year, up from less than $300,000 in 2000.
"What got me going is how much money we are spending on Medicaid dollars to drug our kids, and on prescriptions that are designed for adults and not tested for use by children," he said.
When Baldasaro and other officials saw other states taking drug manufacturers to court to recover money wrongfully collected from them, the legislators wanted the Granite State to follow suit.
In particular, the petition asked Ayotte to sue Bristol-Myers Squibb, manufacturer of Abilify, and Eli Lilly, manufacturer of Zyprexa. Both drugs are prescribed for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Lilly has paid at least $1.2 billion in settlements to Zyprexa users nationwide, over claims they developed diabetes or other diseases from using the drug.
Baldasaro also wants the attorney general to consider joining the U.S. Department of Justice to criminally prosecute drug company executives, where appropriate, again as a deterrent to protect children and others from being placed on powerful medications.
Jeff Cahill, director of the state's Medicaid fraud unit, won't talk about any pending investigation. He said it is his office's policy to neither confirm nor deny any active investigation.
Regarding Ayotte's response to the petition, Baldasaro said he got a letter from her last month saying that New Hampshire has taken on cases against eight drug companies.
"I can assure you that we continue to be very active in investigating improper conduct and in seeking to recover any funds wrongfully collected from the state," Ayotte wrote.
Ultimately, Baldasaro and the other petitioners want a deterrent against improper marketing of powerful drugs.
Petition signer Rep. Gene Charron, R-Chester, said full disclosure is needed to protect consumers, and too often those safeguards are lacking.
Consumers are more likely to see an automobile recall than a drug recall, he said.
Charron and Rep. Marilinda Garcia, R-Salem, said too much is at stake — people's lives, children's lives.
"We want to make sure that with the increased use of medications by school-age children, that the kids are safe," Garcia said.
Baldasaro said, as a society, people should think more about prescription habits.
"In general, I think we are too quick to drug our kids," he said.

What about your State? How much did your State get?
If your state is not in the list below, contact your own State Attorney General here: http://www.naag.org/attorneys_general.php , ask for the Media Relations person and then ask for the press release (or the settlement dollar amount) on the Bristol-Myers Squibb settlement for illegally promoting their antipsychotic drug Abilify for use in kids and the elderly. Then you can flip the press release to your local newspaper. See articles here: http://tmap.wordpress.com/ (most recent are Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Oregon, South Dakota )
Arkansas$1.3 million
California $23 million
Connecticut $1.9 million
Florida $21.5 million
Georgia $12.1 million
Idaho $1.7 million
Illinois $10 million
Indiana $2.2 million
Kansas $3 million
Kentucky $3 million
Maine $829,862
Maryland $2.3 million
Massachusetts $9.2 million
Missouri $11 million
Nebraska$3.2 million
New Hampshire$1.2 million
New York $40 million
North Carolina $14.8 million
NYC$7.5 million Ohio $6.5 million
Oregon $3 million
South Dakota $700,000
Texas$15.7 million
Vermont $318,963

27,403 Signatures Against TeenScreen. Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/TScreen/petition.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfU9puZQKBY

Taking Action Against Psychiatric Child Drugging!

Dear Concerned & Responsible Parents,

Everybody wants a safe, friendly neighborhood. Our environment depends on what we do about it today and many of us have been very busy creating the best environment we can.

However, there is one aspect to our environment which cannot be overlooked or neglected: we can't make a safe and friendly neighborhood without taking care of that neighborhood's children. And this is where the 'hard-to-confront" truth lies.

THE MAKING OF SERIAL KILLERS NEXT DOOR!

Violence in the neighborhood can be traced directly to abusive prescription of psychiatric drugs. Children on psychiatric drugs are potential time bombs. One day they can become the serial killers we have all heard of. Consider the following facts: the 12 recent reported school/teen shooters were under the influence of psychiatric drugs -resulting in 54 killed and 105 wounded! Just to mention the most recent ones:

· Dekalb, Illinois , February 14, 2008: 27-year-old Steven Kazmierczak shot and killed five people and wounded 16 others before killing himself in a Northern Illinois University auditorium. According to his girlfriend, he had recently been taking Prozac, Xanax and Ambien. Toxicology results showed that he still had trace amount of Xanax in his system.

· Omaha, Nebraska , December 5, 2007: 19-year-old Robert Hawkins killed eight people and wounded five before committing suicide in an Omaha mall. Hawkins' friend told CNN that the gunman was on antidepressants, and autopsy results confirmed he was under the influence of the "anti-anxiety" drug Valium.

· Jokela, Finland , November 7, 2007: 18-year-old Finnish gunman Pekka-Eric Auvinen had been taking antidepressants before he killed eight people and wounded a dozen more at Jokela High School in southern Finland, then committed suicide.

· Cleveland, Ohio , October 10, 2007: 14-year-old Asa Coon stormed through his school with a gun in each hand, shooting and wounding four before taking his own life. Court records show Coon had been placed on the antidepressant Trazodone.

· Blacksburg, Virginia, April 16, 2007: The psychiatric drug history of Seung-Hui Cho in the Virginia Tech Massacre was never made public. Initial reports stated that "depression medication" was found among Cho's belongings. But neither his toxicology reports, nor his recent medical history were ever released to find out whether Cho had been in withdrawal from psychiatric medication. (33 were killed and 29 injured, but this was not included in the total of dead and wounded cited above.)

THE SOURCE OF VIOLENCE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Our kids need help, not drugging. It has been proven again and again that psychiatric drugging does NOT heal, treat or help our children. The FDA has even recognized the obvious dangers of using antidepressants or psychotropic drugs on children. Ritalin, for example, was classified as a schedule II drug (in the same class as morphine, opium, cocaine and methadone).

Yet Ritalin is prescribed to more than 6 million American children. Over 17 million kids are under the influence of antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft or Paxil. Chances are, some kids in our neighborhood are already addicted. The potential liability is clear. Some examples:

· Houston, 2004: a 10-year old kid kills his father with a rifle. A psychiatrist had prescribed Prozac for the boy in early August after he was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. He started with a 10-milligram dose and gradually moved to higher doses. The week before the shooting, the boy started taking a once-a-week, time-release dosage of 90 milligrams. He took his second 90-milligram pill just hours before the shooting.

· Spotsylvania, Va. 2007: a teenager was charged with killing and raping his sister and beating his niece with a sledgehammer in a crime the sheriff called one of the most brutal he's ever seen. The mother said her son had no history of violence, but confessed to the authorities he was on medication for depression.

· COLUMBUS, OH, 2005: a 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty in Stillwater County District Court to two counts of mitigated deliberate homicide for the shooting deaths of two members of his family.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys said they agreed that Jake suffered from a mental disorder or extreme emotional distress when he shot his mother and younger brother in the head while they slept.

(For a complete story of over 2,200 murder or violence cases due to antidepressant "treatment" of children, go to http://ssristories.com/index.php )

THE SOLUTION TO A SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD AND GREAT KIDS

As part of your neighborhood actions, you can help by educating parents. CCHR Florida has recently published a great, informational booklet: "A New Approach to Healthy Mind." You can buy this booklet and distribute it to your neighbors. By doing so, you help parents know their rights about psychiatric drugging and/or involuntary commitment of their kids. Visit www.cchrflorida.org for details on how to get this new ground breaking booklet or call them directly at 800-782-2878 or International: +1-727-442-8820. Call today!

Get the truth about psychiatry...

...every Wednesday night from 8PM to 9PM EST on WTAN AM 1340 or On-Line at www.tantalk1340.com with Chris and Chris from The Mental Health EDGE Radio Show! Get the facts and defend your human rights against psychiatric abuse!!

This is the first of many blogs that will blow your mind. Our official website for The Mental Health EDGE is on it's way and so is the Podcast so hang tight. Some of the show topics will include: Psychiatric Child Drugging, Psychiatry a Pseudoscience, The Harming of Artists, Psychiatry's War on Religion, The Real Mental Health Crisis, and many other topics!