How the Creeping Continues

Some of the Illinois Mental Health Timeline

A Joint Resolution in the 92nd General Assembly was passed in 2001. Unanimous vote.

As you read the language, you'll see for one, that it gets IVPA moving with the mental health screening movement here along with Barbara Shaw's megabucks budget. The language was then repeated in the Illinois Childrens Mental Health Act, which also included wording to form a be all and end all Plan to be submitted and updated every year . The Dream Plan. Their short term strategies (within 1-2 years) were to screen all women for depression during pregnancy and following the birth of a child one year post partum, and ensure that all children receive periodic social and emotional developmental screens.

Never assume that mental health screening proponents have seen the light with their new and more clever Plan submitted to the governor June 30 of this year. Never. A new Plan will be submitted next year and next year.... Run a search of the 2005/2006 Plan and simply take out the word voluntary. One word removed and we're back to square one.

Continuing on, the House passed a Resolution last year calling for screening of all children. This was not a Joint Resolution. Our senators did see some light apparently. But unfortunately, this Resolution lays out the plan to use TeenScreen as

it's been proven successful, offers technical assistance for
implementation of a screening
program, and provides all the components for
such a program at no charge at this time

Here's some sample questions from TeenScreen

In the last year, has there been a time:
(1) When nothing was fun for you and you just weren't interested in
anything?
(2) When you couldn't think as clearly or
as fast as usual?
(3) When you had less energy than you usually do?
(4) When you felt you couldn't do anything well or that you
weren't as good-looking or as smart as other people?
(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?

Here's some results from the TeenScreen given w/o parental consent or consultation:

The first notice of intent to sue was filed this month in Indiana by Michael and Teresa Rhoades who were outraged when they learned their daughter had been given a psychological test at school without their consent.

In December 2004, their daughter came home from school and said she had been diagnosed with an obsessive compulsive and social anxiety disorder after taking the TeenScreen survey.