Tuesday, July 28, 2009

TeenScreen Documents Exposed

The goal of TeenScreen, the very controversial child screening program, is to do a mental suicide screening of every U.S. child before they graduate from high school. According to their website, they utilize screening instruments called the Diagnostic Predictive Scales (DPS) and the Columbia Health Screen (CHS).

Children as young as 9 years old are asked to answer the DPS or CHS questions. Afterwards, summary forms are then filled out by a clinician. TeenScreen's high false positive rate has many schools and parents alarmed that normal children will be labeled with mental disorders. For example the San Francisco Chronicle has just reported that "Local public schools have resisted TeenScreen. San Francisco Unified School District, for example, passed on TeenScreen because it can generate false positives and drain counseling resources. Other critics worry TeenScreen could send kids unnecessarily into treatment and land too many on psychiatric drugs."

Certainly pharmaceutical companies will benefit from mass screening of our children.

Below you can find links to all 4 documents: The DPS, DPS Summary Form, the CHS and the CHS Summary Form

The documents are being made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of the ramifications of mass mental screening as related to human rights, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues. This material is distributed without profit.

The Washington Post reported in an article entitled Suicide-Risk Tests for Teens Debated on June 16, 2006. "Shaffer said the screening test he developed is now in the public domain".

Shaffer, is the psychiatrist who invented TeenScreen.

CHS-Summary Form.pdf


CHS-Questionnaire.pdf


DPS-Summary Form.pdf


DPS-Questionnaire.pdf

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LibertyCoalition

7 year old Drug-Induced Suicide

*St. Petersburg Times
A Times Editorial
May 12, 2009

A little boy in foster care is dead by his own hand, but a poorly
functioning child welfare system also is responsible. Last month,
7-year-old Gabriel Myers hanged himself on an extendable shower hose
while in a South Florida foster home. At the time he was taking a
combination of psychotropic medications, one of which carries a warning
that it might lead to suicidal behavior in children. State law was
ignored in giving the child the medicines without consent from his
mother or a judge. In the final outrage, this child was given risky
drugs but not the intense attention he so obviously needed.

St. Petersburg Times staff writer Kris Hundley reported that at the time
of his death, Gabriel was taking Vyvanse, an ADHD drug, and Symbyax, a
combination antipsychotic and antidepressant, which warns of heightened
suicide risk in children particularly when first prescribed.

Six times, Gabriel's caseworker had documented that the Department of
Children and Families had parental consent for the medication. But there
was no such consent. Gabriel's mother signed a general medical
authorization on the same day she was found unconscious in her car with
powder cocaine, crack and oxycodone in her possession. But when a child
is in state custody, a parent must give explicit consent after being
"expressly informed" about changes in a child's medication, including
being told of medications' benefits and risks and about alternative
treatments.

That never happened in Gabriel's case, and it appears this case is not
unique. It has been a common practice for DCF workers and physicians to
fail to obtain parental consent when a psychotropic drug is for a
nonpsychotherapeutic use, under the mistaken impression that the law
didn't require it.

And foster care advocates say that DCF's internal records are abysmal in
tracking children taking psychotropic medications. This also suggests
that proper consents are not being obtained.

DCF Secretary George Sheldon is responding appropriately to Gabriel's
tragic death. He is closing the loophole that allowed the prescribing of
mood-altering drugs without parental consent. He has named an impressive
committee to investigate Gabriel's death and make recommendations.
Sheldon also made public the details of Gabriel's situation rather than
try to cover up DCF's failings. That alone bodes well for an honest
accounting and a sincere desire to reform.

But to prevent a similar situation, Sheldon will have to look beyond a
caseworker's failure to inform a parent and address a system's failure
to adequately meet Gabriel's needs.

Gabriel said he had been a victim of sexual abuse before moving to
Florida, which means he should not have been placed in any foster home
where there were small children present. As Gabriel started engaging in
inappropriate touching, he was bounced from one foster placement to
another to protect other children. This kind of shuffling can add trauma
to a child who is already at risk.

Gabriel also didn't receive all the behavioral therapy he needed, and he
lost the therapist with whom he had established a relationship. Sheldon
noted that in the days before his suicide Gabriel changed medications,
moved to a new foster home and received a new therapist.

Sheldon has it right when he says that Gabriel's death "ought to mean
something." State law needs to be followed when prescribing medication
for children in foster care. And particularly when it comes to damaged
children, there has to be a recognition that drugs are no substitute for
basic human care and attention.

Exclusive: An Actual TeenScreen Survey

Review these questions carefully and see what is on the actual survey. Keep in mind that when these children taking these survey score a false positive, they are labeled as mentally ill and put on mind-altering psychiatric drugs. Would YOU (as a parent or guardian), pass this Teen Screen test?
-----------
Diagnostic Predictive Scales DPS-8 (Youth)

1. “This interview (survey) is designed to be used by qualified professional as an aid to diagnosis. It is not a substitute for a thorough clinical evaluation”.



1. “Who spent the most time taking care of you in the past 3 months?:

Both parents

Mother, only

Father, only

Grandparents (s)

Sister/brother

Aunt/uncle

Foster parents

Other adult”

2. “In the last three months did you have trouble seeing the chalkboard”?

3. “Do you wear glasses”?

4. “Have you seen an eye doctor about this”?

5. “In the last three months….did you have a toothache”?

6. “Have you seen a dentist about this”?



SECTION A

1. “In the last three months….have you often felt very nervous and uncomfortable when you have been with a group of children…say, in the lunchroom at school or at a party”?

2. “Have you often felt very nervous when you had to do things in front of people”?



SECTION B

1. “For this question, I want to know if you have ever had a sudden attack of feeling very afraid. In the kind of attack, I mean someone becomes very afraid even though there is nothing around them to frighten them. Sometimes they feel they can’t breathe…sometimes their heart beats very fast. The attacks come on very suddenly, then goes away, but they get afraid that the attacks might come back. In the last three months have you had an attack when all of a sudden you felt you were very afraid or strange”?

2. “Have you had a time when you were suddenly feeling like you were suffocating or you couldn’t breathe”?

3. “Do you have asthma”?

4. “The only time you felt afraid or couldn’t breathe was when you were having an asthma attack”?



SECTION C

5. “In the last three months….Have often worried a lot before you were going to play a sport or game or some other activity Have you had a lot of headaches”?

6. “In the last three months have you had other aches and pains”?

7. “Are you the kind of person who is often very tense, or finds it very hard to relax”?



SECTION D

8. “Some young people have times when one thought comes into the mind over and over again. When people have these thoughts they usually get upset, because the thoughts are strange. No matter how hard they try the thoughts keep on coming back.

Now I am going to ask you if you have had thoughts like these in the last three months. Have you had to count things over and over again? Or make yourself do things a certain number of times”?

9. “In the last three months…was there a time when you washed your hands or body over and over again or changed your clothes many times each day because you thought they were dirty”?

10. “Have you often felt you should check on things over and over again? For example: checking that the front door is locked…or the stove is turned off or that something else was done, though you knew it had been done”?



11. “In the last three months….have you often worried that things you touch are dirty or have germs”?

12.“Have you had any other thoughts that kept coming into your mind over and over again that you couldn’t get rid of”?

1. “In the last three months…

Have you done things like counting, checking, washing, over and over again because you like to do these things”?

2. “Have you done these things like counting, checking, washing, over and over again, only because you’ve been told by someone else to make sure that you’ve done them right”?

3. “In the last three months…

Have you wished you could stop yourself doing things like counting, checking or washing over and over again”?

11. “Have you spent a lot of time each day doing things like counting, checking or washing over and over again…say, for as long as an hour”?



SECTION E



12. “In the last three months…

Has there been a time when nothing was fun for you and you just weren’t interested in anything”?

13. “Has there been a time when you had less energy than you usually do”?

14. “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”?

15. “In the last three months…

Has there been a time when you thought seriously about killing yourself”?

16. “Have you tried to kill yourself in the last year”?

17. “Has there been a time when doing even the little things made you feel really tired”?

18. “In the last three months…

Has there been a time when you couldn’t think as clearly or as fast as usual”?



“I have just asked you about the last three months. Now, I want you to think about the last year”.



SECTION F



19. “The next questions are about you use of alcohol-beer, wine, wine coolers, or hard liquors like vodka, gin or whiskey. Each can or bottle of beer, glass of wine or wine cooler, shot of liquor, or mixed drink with liquor it it counts as one drink.

In the last year…Have you had six or more drinks”?

20. “Did you get in trouble with the police when you were drunk or because you had been drinking”?

21. “In the last years…

Did you get into arguments with your family or friends because of drinking”?

22. “Did you miss school to go drinking or because you were hung over”?



SECTION G

23. “In the last year…

Have you used marijuana six or more times”?

This would be a normal affirmative as it is a likely chance that many “normal” adolescents today would use marijuana six times or more in a year.



24. “Did you miss school to use marijuana or because you were too high

on marijuana to go to school”?

25. “In the last year…

Did you get into arguments with your friends and family because you were using marijuana”?



SECTION H

26. “Have you used any opiates to get high. This includes things like codeine, Demerol, morphine, percodan, methadone, Darvon, opium, Delaudid, Talwin and so on”.

“In the last year…

Have you used any of these to get high””?

27. Have you used any kind of hallucinogen? This includes LSD or “acid”, mescaline, peyote, DMT, psilocybin and so on. Have you used one of these?

28. In the last year…

“Have you used stimulants or amphetamines…like speed, diet pills, Benzedrine, methamphetamine or anything like that to get high”?

29. “Have you used cocaine or ‘crack’?”

30. “In the last year…Have you used heroin”?

31. “Have you used PCP or “Angel Dust”?

32. “In the last year…Have you used ecstasy”?

33. “Have you used any inhalants…like glue, cleaning fluid, gasoline or paint to get high”?



34. “How often did your parents feel worried or concerned about the way you were feeling or acting?

a. A lot of the time

b. Some of the time

c. Hardly ever

d. Not at al”

35. “Were they worried or concerned because of:

a. You were feeling anxious or worried?

b. You were feeling sad or depressed?

c. Problems with your behavior?

d. Problems with alcohol or drugs?

e. Other things you did?

36. How often did you parents get annoyed or upset with you because of the way you were feeling or acting?

a. A lot of the time

b. Some of the time

c. Hardly ever

d. Not at all

37. Were they annoyed or upset because of:

a. You were feeling anxious or worried?

b. You were feeling sad or depressed?

c. Problems with your behavior?

d. Problems with alcohol or drugs?

e. Other things you did?

38. How often were you not able to do things or go places with your family because of the way you felt or acted?

a. A lot of the time

b. Some of the time

c. Hardly ever

d. Not at all



39. Were you not able to do things or go places because:

a. You were feeling anxious or worried?

b. You were feeling sad or depressed?

c. Problems with your behavior?

d. Problems with alcohol or drugs?

e. Other things you did?



40. How often did the way you were feeling or acting make it difficult to do your schoolwork or cause problems with your grades?

a. A lot of the time

b. Some of the time

c. Hardly ever

d. Not at all

41. Did you have problems with your schoolwork or grades because of:

a. You were feeling anxious or worried?

b. You were feeling sad or depressed?

c. Problems with your behavior?

d. Problems with alcohol or drugs?

e. Other things you did?



42. How often were your teachers annoyed or upset with you because of the way you were feeling or acting?

a. A lot of the time

b. Some of the time

c. Hardly ever

d. Not at all



43. Were you teachers annoyed or upset because of:

a. You were feeling anxious or worried?

b. You were feeling sad or depressed?

c. Problems with your behavior?

d. Problems with alcohol or drugs?

e. Other things you did?



44. How often did the way you were feeling or acting make you feel bad or feel upset?

a. A lot of the time

b. Some of the time

c. Hardly ever

d. Not at all



45. Did you feel bad or upset because of:

a. You were feeling anxious or worried?

b. You were feeling sad or depressed?

c. Problems with your behavior?

d. Problems with alcohol or drugs?

e. Other things you did?



46. Have you been to see someone at a hospital, or at a clinic because of the way you were feeling or acting?

a. yes

b. no

47. Did you go to see someone because of:

a. You were feeling anxious or worried?

b. You were feeling sad or depressed?

c. Problems with your behavior?

d. Problems with alcohol or drugs?

e. Other things you did”?

END

Drug Induced Murder in a loving family

Seventeen days after taking his first dose of Prozac, Kurt Danysh shot and killed his father, the one person he loved most in the world, by firing a shotgun blast into his head. The shooting was a complete shock and made no sense to anyone who knew Kurt and his father. Kurt had no history of violence prior to taking Prozac. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to 22.5 to 60 years in prison. Finally, in 2004, eight years after Kurt's conviction, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized that SSRI antidepressants, including Prozac, can cause suicidal and/or violent behavior particularly in adolescents and children, and in 2005 has required a "black box" warning on all antidepressants. Additionally, it has been discovered that Eli Lilly & Co. (manufacturer of Prozac) knew about and concealed information as far back as 1988 linking Prozac to violent behavior.

The Mean And Unclean TeenScreen: An Essay

The Mean andUnclean TeenScreen is a seven page expository essay written to discuss TeenScreen programs' transparent and manipulative flaws. Read it here.

No Justice for Nikki

Nikki was a vibrant 16 year old high school sophomore. Nikki had her whole life ahead of her. Her parents had planned to send her to one of the best colleges in their state. But Nikki never made it to college. In fact, Nikki never made it to the end of her sophomore year. Soon after being diagnosed as mentally ill, Nikki was prescribed several anti-psychotic drugs to help "heal" her perceived mental illness. And just as quickly, the light in Nikki's eyes started to dwindle, the innocence in her face turned gloomy. Five months after Nikki started on the medicine prescribed by doctors after taking the TeenScreen survey. Nikki was dead. A victim of a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head. In her suicide note she said: "I never thought I was crazy, but the doctors said I was. The medicine they gave me made my head hurt and I began to hear voices telling me to kill myself and spare my parents the pain of having a crazy daughter. Mom, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to turn out crazy. Maybe you and dad can have a better child. One better than me..." With those words, Nikki ended her life.

Another victim of TeenScreen

Monday, July 27, 2009

Virginia Tech Shooter on Psych drugs

The fact remains that the Teen Screen program fosters false positive results, inevitably landing unaware children, teens, and young adults on psychiatric medications such as prozac, paxil, zoloft, and more. The side effects can be DEADLY. Watch this touching video clip that talks about many people, young and old, who have turned violent while on drugs that were supposed to help them. One such person is the Virginia Tech shooter who claimed so many innocent lives.


School Shootings Map

This map shows school shootings all over the United States within a 10 year period of 1996-2006. The Columbine High School shootings and the Padukah, Kentucky shootings are including in this map. Mind you, it is almost 2010 and several other school shootings have taken place since then. The most shocking fact that alot of these shootings were drug induced and the children were on mind altering adult psychiatric drugs! We are in no way trying to excuse the violent acts, we are just trying to show you the REAL culprits behind all of this school shooting violence. The Bush imposed Teen Screen program and the pharmaceutical drug companies that fund them

Shocking Facts

If you are still one of those parents who do not think TeenScreen is "all that bad", take a look at these shocking facts that are the end result of a false positive result on the Teen Screen survey. Remember, it's highly likely that your adolescent normal teen will get a false positive and then put on some serious psychiatric drugs:

Did you know that:

  • Eight out of 13 U.S. school shootings were committed by teens taking psychotropic drugs known to cause violent and suicidal behavior.

  • At least five teens responsible for school massacres had undergone a psychiatric program called “anger management” or other psychological behavior modification programs such as “death education.”

  • For decades, schools around the world have used “death education,” a psychological experiment in which the children are made to discuss suicide, what they would like placed in their coffins, and made to write their own epitaphs in an effort to “get kids more comfortable with death.” Anger management aims at stopping aggressive or violent behavior but virtually no reliable information exists to prove it can eliminate the problem. In one class, a boy beat up a classmate so badly that six days later the boy was still in the hospital.

  • 18-year-old Eric Harris (right) and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold took “anger management,” “death education” and psychiatric drugs. As students at Columbine High School, Colorado, they were asked to imagine their own death. After that “exercise” Harris had a dream where he and Klebold went on a shooting rampage in a shopping center. In addition to attending these classes, Harris was taking an antidepressant drug known to cause violent behavior. He even wrote about his killing spree dream and handed it in to the psychology teacher. Not long after, Harris and Klebold acted out the dream by shooting and killing 12 students and a teacher, and wounding 23 others.

  • On May 21, 1998, in Oregon, USA, 14-year-old Kip Kinkel shot and killed his parents and then went on a wild shooting spree at his high school, which left two dead and 22 injured. He was taking a psychiatric drug and had undergone a psychological “anger management” program.

  • April 16, 1999: Notus, Idaho: 15-year-old Shawn Cooper fired two shotgun rounds in his school narrowly missing students; he was taking a mix of antidepressants.

  • May 20, 1999, Conyers, Georgia: 15-year-old T.J. Solomon was being treated with a mix of antidepressants when he opened fire on and wounded six of his classmates.

  • March 7, 2000, Williamsport, Pennsylvania: 14-year-old Elizabeth Bush was on the antidepressant Prozac when she blasted away at fellow students wounding one.

  • March 22, 2001, El Cajon, California: 18-year-old Jason Hoffman was on two antidepressants, Effexor and Celexa, when he opened fire at his high school, wounding five. Hoffman had also undergone an “anger management” program.

  • April 10, 2001: Wahluke, Washington: 16-year-old Cory Baadsgaard took a rifle to his high school, and held 23 classmates and a teacher hostage. Cory had been on a high dose of an antidepressant.
  • March 21, 2005: 16-year-old Native American school shooter Jeff Weise was the 8th school shooter who had been taking a mind-altering antidepressant. He killed 9 people, injured about 10 others before shooting himself.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

TeenScreen Parents Speak Out: Miranda Wilson

Hello, my name is Miranda Wilson. I was given the opportunity to tell you how I feel about the Bush Administration's "Teen Screen" program. I'm grateful for this opportunity because I feel it's important for parents and families to be educated about the TRUTH behind Teen Screen's "mental health screening" in schools. And it's not a pretty side of the truth whatsoever.

Miranda's View---

What saddens me as a parent about teen screen is that they are only out for themselves they do not seem to out here trying to help our children neither to they seem to be concerned about the welfare of these kids. During one of their interviews a child is asked this question, “Do you ever feel nervous in front of an audience?”

Many adults are nervous in front of an audience and that does not mean that we have mental disorders. So why should it mean that for a child? Why would anyone put to question a child’s mental state in their time of peek growth? Some kids act out for attention, or because they’re being bullied at school.

This does not mean that they need a "mental check up" or that they need medications. Sometimes just sitting down and talking with your child instead of at him can really be helpful. These days, being a teen is hard enough and it’s harder when they have someone other than their parent questioning them about personal issues or a "doctor" drugging them up.

I cannot put my child through such harsh treatment and I wouldn't expect any other loving parent to do so either, I will not allow these pharmaceutical companies to get rich on my child. Parents need to think twice before allow these people to change the lives of their children forever. Once you get into this situation it’s hard to get out.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Jake's Diary

Dear Diary,

I honestly think it's stupid to write in a diary. After all, diary writing is for girls. But my counselors told me that students "like me" with mental issues need to record their feelings. So here I go:

It all started when my parents started fighting. My stupid dad cheated on my mom and she found out about it. Man! I was so mad at him. How could he take that beautiful woman that God gave him and toss her out with the garbage...? Anyways, he started on my case, and it made me depressed. I couldn't sleep at home, so I slept at school. I couldn't eat at home, and pure worry about my mom, caused my stomach to feel not hungry.

I became angry every time I saw her cry and angrier when I saw him in town one day with his girlfriend. I confronted him when he came home and told him how I felt. I wanted him dead. Then one day I get called to the office and the counselor gives me this form to fill out. I said NO WAY whatever! But they gave me a free movie ticket to go see anything I wanted to see. I took the survey.

Later I was contacted at home by a doctor of So called Medicine and Psychiatry. My mom was very worried, but I assured her: "There's nothing wrong with me, Mom!" Or at least I thought there wasn't. A week later I was on these kick ass drugs that make me feel invincible. I almost feel strong enough to take on my dad. He's going to pay for what he did to us. I'll make sure of that.

Anyways, I'm getting tired of writing... These meds make me numb in the brain. I can't stop thinking about hurting my dad more now. Maybe the test was right. Maybe I do have a mental problem. Who knows. I'm going to go get a drink now. A glass of booze and a pill makes me fly. And I like that feeling. At least I don't have to hear my mom crying.

Peace out,
Jake

Politicians Under Obama Fighting to STOP Teen Screen

Kent Snyder, Executive Director of Ron Paul's grassroots organization, exposes the President's "No Child Left Un-drugged" program, offered under names such as "Teen Screen" and TMAP. These programs force or coerce children and adults into "mental health" testing which is highly unscientific and too often results in prescriptions for dangerous psychiatric drugs. These are of a class known as 'psychotropic' drugs-meaning 'mind-altering' drugs. We must keep our children from being given drugs and labels--it's time to stop any type of forced psychiatric testing and drugging of our children.

This program discusses the "New Freedom Mental Health Commission" and how this scheme started under Governor George W. Bush in Texas and continued in his presidency and to the present. The scheme to drug the creativity and initiative out of America's schoolchildren continues under Obama. Don't let your children have their energy, creativity and enthusiasm for life drugged out of them so they become dull and docile robots, doing only as they are told.




Wednesday, July 22, 2009

TeenScreen: A Parent's Testimonial

Teen Screen wants to reward my child with free movie passes in order to sign a waiver for him to get screened for mental health disorders. It's called a mental physical. If I want to take my child to get any type of physical I will do that on my own. Teen screen has put into my child's head that he has a mental problem.

NOW he is acting very depressed and frustrated because he thinks that there is something wrong with him. How dare these people put this worry and falsehoods in my child's head!! Kids have enough to worry about as it is, now they have to worry that if they have a bad day at school, their teachers are going to assume that they are mental.

I do not believe that these children are being helped. I do not believe that they are in this out of concern for our children, but I do believe that teen screen is out for their own personal gain. That is to combine their clinical knowledge with pharmaceutical companies to diagnose kids with some fake mental disorder in order to get the big bucks. Teen Screen is not the best way to go in order to find help for our children they are in this business for selfish reasons and the children are not benefiting from what ever it is these people are trying to accomplish.

I would never allow my child to go through such torture. If my child needs help, I will go through the proper channels to get my child the help he needs; and drugs aren't always the answer. The children can become depended on these drugs for their whole life and if you read up on the side effects of the medications, they are worse then the actual problem!!! I will keep my child away from any type of teen screening.

Harriette Miller, California

Drug Induced Shootings?

These poor kids are put on psychotic drugs and are induced into a violent state of mind. Teen Screen and it false positive results cause all of this. Watch and Learn...

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Pharmaceutical Drug Pushers

When we think of pharmaceutical companies, we may think of them as a positive influence on our economy and society as a whole. After all, they provide us with some of the best medicines and remedies when we are ill. They provide our children with cold relief when needed, and pain relief when necessary. When we are sick we count on the pharmaceutical companies.

But what about when we are not sick. What usually happens when you give a person who is not sick medicine for a particular ailment that they do not have? Usually it will make them sick. Well, another side effect that could happen, if given the "right" kind of drugs is that the person will experience a drug high.

These days, kids and teens are getting hooked on prescription drugs that are being prescribed to them for their "mental illness" that is not there. Parents think that marijuana is a big problem with kids, but think again. Prescription drugs are becoming the most popular drugs in school. Most of these prescription drugs are being prescribed by these pharmaceutical companies under the pretense that the child is mentally ill. The child or teen then gets hooked on the medications such as Xanax and Zoloft, and in turn shares with their friends, and so on and so forth... A vicious cycle begins!

The Teen Screen program is very dangerous for America's youth. Many American teenagers and youth are being misdiagnosed as Mental Ill and put on these mentally crippling drugs. It's time to wake up to what is really going on here with the Teen Screen program.

Not Worth It!

There hasn't been any scientifically credible studies found that can prove that each or any child for that matter, may have suicidal tendencies. If the child wanted to commit suicide or had any thoughts of committing suicide, wouldn't it be better to sit down as a family and figure out why this is and what they are feeling instead of drugging them up then shut them up and out?

Our children should be vibrant and full of life. These drugs prescribed by the Teen Screen sponsors only make them tired, withdrawn, and possibly sadder than what they were at first.

Is it worth it?

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Drugs and Teen Screen

What role does drugs play is this screening, most of these teens screened are eventually medicated so the pharmaceutical companies rack in some serious cash through these teens. Insured or not the pharmaceutical companies are also working with these mental health professionals to continue to make money.

The sale of anti-depressants will continue to rise even after some of these drugs are said to cause suicidal tendencies. Isn't that what they are supposed to prevent? This is a multi-billion dollar industry drugging up children.It is supposed to prevent harmful tendencies or actions to themselves. These drugs may in fact cause them to harm themselves anyway. How is it (medicating the child) in the child's best interests at this time?

In a British Journal it said that "antidepressants are eroding our well being and dismiss life as a simple spark of synaptic electricity." Point blank we should see these kids as the normal energetic kids that they are, not some robotic, zombie-like individual that depends on a drug that is supposed to help them to function better. All the while making the pharmaceutical companies richer.

Teen Screen makes the pharmaceutical companies richer, at the expense of our children. Is it worth it

Dissecting the Teen Screen Survey Process

In these days of pressured academic achievement, many teens are exhausted and have a high pressure class load and just may need some rest. That does not mean (in any way) that they are suicidal or need drugs in order to function. The process for the Teen Screen situations are not extensive enough to fully determine if a child has a mental disorder.

The beginning of the process is a parental consent given through the child's school that is participating in this program. This is called an Active Consent which explains the program and what could potentiality happen if their child is found to be mentally ill. The second part is participation consent, teens are given a form to sign which explains that their participation is voluntary.

A question may arise: If it is voluntary, then why are the parents required to sign a form as well?

It's not the same as the children signing up for an after school club, it's diagnosing a mental defect. Most teens do not feel that there is anything wrong with them so most will decline. The next part is a screening questionnaire which is used to see what level the child may be on and to see what areas to look further into.

A sheet of paper can not determine mental defects and who is to say that the teen is being completely honest about their feelings? Then there is the clinical overview of one session. This is supposed to be done by a mental health professional because the teens are questioned and are asked to discuss what they are feeling.

Those that score a positive or high on the screening is said to have some problems and will need further help. The others that scores a negative or low marking will not go further with the program. So the more mental the teen seems to be, the more beneficial the program supposedly is. The last part of the screening are the results.

There has been a high rate of false positives that have been produced from the Teen Screen Program. False positive? Think of a pregnancy test. If a woman receives a false positive, the test shows that she is in fact pregnant, but biologically she is not. The same goes with the Teen Screen program. When a child scores a false positive, the program labels him or her as "Mentally Ill", when in fact he or she is NOT!! The false positive result precentage is from, are you ready for this?

84-90%

Now, how much faith do you have in the Teen Screen Program. These poor 84-90 percentile kids get put on psychiatric drugs to contain and maintain mental illnesses that are not even there! Teen Screen is DANGEROUS. How much do you value your child.

Teen Suicide and Teen Screen

Nearly 2/3 of teens that attempt suicide exhibit some signs of suicide. Teen Screen is supposed to help or assist parents in screening their teens that may have some of these potential signs to stop any harm to themselves. Some of these screens are being done throughout many schools after George Bush's recommendations through the Freedom Commission.

Teens everywhere are being diagnosed with one or more of the 400 mental disorders through the supposed manual of diagnostic and statistical disorders. Some of these disorders range from sleeping and reading disorders, to fictitious defiant disorders; which in many cases the teen will have to be on some type of medication to help to treat this disorder.

Not all of these disorders lead to suicide. In many situations, once these disorders are treated the teens will and can be very productive. Some of these teens just need someone that they can trust to talk to. Misdiagnosing a teen can cause a serious problem and turn a adolescent's life upside down. Teen Screen is the culprit. Don't trust it.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Teen Screen Survey Questions - An inside look

Some parents by now are wondering exactly what kind of questions will be on the survey issued by Teen Screen. Thanks to a trustworthy source, we've acquired just that! Parents, we appeal to you, DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO TAKE THE TEEN SCREEN SURVEY.

Why? What could be the harm? You may ask. Did you know that over 84% of the results are false positives? That means that those 84% and more students are PERMANENTLY labeled as a mental health risk, and their psychological profiles will be labeled as such. Think about this: Your child takes the TEEN SCREEN survey and receives a "positive", but in fact it is a "false positive" result. You both are then subject to an onslaught of suggested tests and medications by the "professionals" who issued the survey. If you and your child survive that, later in life he or she will be branded as a quack, not able to get work with any reputable company that checks psychological profiles. You see unlike criminal records, psychological profiles stay open...

The harm? This program has been proven to have alterior motives. That is to push the psychiatric drugs from the pharmaceutical companies down the throats of unsuspecting kids. Your child can be one on them. So before you make any haste to allow your child to take the program's survey, review the questions below. Later, make a self examination of you as a parent and see if you could ask those same questions to your child. Its better when a parent ask these questions in the privacy of your own home as opposed to a group of strangers psychologically raping our children.

List of questions on a Teen Screen survey that may be asked:

  • Has there been a time when nothing is fun for you and you weren't interested in anything?
  • Has there been a time when you felt you couldn't do anything right and that you were not a as handsome or pretty as the rest of the students?
  • How often do your parents get annoyed or upset with you because of the way you are feeling?
  • Have you ever felt nervous when you had to do things in front of people?
  • Have you often worried alot before playing a sport or activity?
  • Have you tried to kill yourself in the last year?
  • Are you still thinking about killing yourself?
  • Have you thought seriously about killing yourself?
  • Have you often thought about killing yourself?
  • Have you ever tried to kill yourself?
  • and many more like these...
The Teen Screen program uses questions like these to label our children. How many of us parents would pass this test? The fact is, all of us, no matter who you may be have had some negative thoughts, BUT that in no way makes us out to be a mental case. Think seriously before allowing this government program to test your child. We as parents should be assessing our children for this problem, not the Teen Screen program.

Passive Consent

Many of you may not realize this, but the Teen Screen Program uses the very sneaky tactic called the Passive Consent Form to lure students into doing the so called "mental health survey". What exactly is Passive Consent Form? It is a form that the Teen Screen program gives the school to send home with the students. If the students do not return the form within the required time allotted by Teen Screen, the program will consider the parents' failure to sign AS consent!

The Passive Consent form has been utilized as a tactic to perform the tests on the children without the parents consent. As with all sneaky program forms that are worded the right way, the passive consent form relies on the parents not reading this form correctly. Most of the time, parents are required TO return forms as consent, but this form requires parents to return forms to OPT OUT of the program's analysis.

Note to all parents when you receive a form from your child's school. Read carefully!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

School Systems Getting Hip to Teen Screen

The Teen Screen Program is so transparent that even school systems are not participating in the program. Some tried it out and some out right refused. These school systems deserve an applause for their brave stance against the Teen Screen Program. Below is a listing of a few school systems that have said: "NO" to Teen Screen. Hopefully more will be added to this list as more come to the realization of what Teen Screen REALLY is!
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CALIFORNIA

Alhambra Unified School District
Ramona Elementary School
Date: Sunday, Jan 18, 2007
Reason for saying NO: "The TeenScreen program no longer exists at Ramona School."

Fresno Unified School District
February 8, 2007
Reason for saying NO: "We have no interest in or intention to adopt TeenScreen"

Hoover High School
February 8, 2007
Reason for saying NO: A 2 year TeenScreen pilot was done at Hoover High School in the Fresno Unified School District. Result? See above.

San Francisco Unified School District
Date: Monday, Jan 22, 2007
Reason for saying NO: "Passed on TeenScreen because it can
generate false positives and drain counseling resources."

CONNECTICUT
Bridgeport Public Schools
Bassick High School
Harding High School
Date: Monday, July 18, 2005 9:12 AM
Reason for saying NO: "The program was located at Bassick and Harding High Schools. It was not successful and the District discontinued it."

Date: Wed, December 13, 2006 10:53 AM
Reason for saying NO: "TeenScreen was not seen as helpful and no data was ever provided to the community."

FLORIDA
Flagler Palm Coast High School
Reason for saying NO: Screening will halt as of Oct 2006 due to lack of funding.

Hillsborough
Date: Monday, Mar 01, 2004 10:20 AM
Reason for saying NO: "Our district has not yet felt comfortable with the information provided by Teen Screen to implement it anywhere in the district. We are exploring the possiblity of doing a pilot at Gaither High School, but have not had all of questions answered by the organization. They [TeenScreen] continue to say to others that Hills. Co. has "partnered" with them when, in fact, we are still only exploring." Hillsborough decided to not implement screening.

Pinellas County
Date: January 25, 2005, the Pinellas County School Board decided that TeenScreen should not be implemented.
Reason for saying NO: 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.

GEORGIA
Cobb County School District
Date: Sat, June 3, 2006 5:11 PM
Reason for saying NO: "We have decided that TeenScreen was and is still not a good fit for Cobb Schools."

ILLINOIS
Urbana High School
Date: Thur, Aug 31, 2006 7:01 PM
Reason for saying NO: "We did use TeenScreen last year, but the person who did it left the District. I have been informed that we will not be doing it again this year."
INDIANA
Clay High School - Southbend Community School System
Date: Tues, Aug 8, 2006 12:55 PM
Reason for saying NO: "The school corporation pulled back because of controversy in another district."

John Adams High School
Date: Tues, Aug 10, 2006 4:58 AM
Reason for saying NO: "Adams no longer uses teenscreen. It has been an issue that the corporation has decided that none of the students will be involved."

Lawrenceburg High School
Date: Tue, Feb 6, 2007 9:25 AM
Reason for saying NO: "The school corporation is experiencing severe budget problems at this time. As a result, our guidance department has lost staff resulting in not offering the Teen Screen program this year."

Penn-Harris-Madison
Date: Friday, Feb 2, 2007 6:50 AM
Reason for saying NO: "We discontinued TeenScreen at Penn High school because we had a very low response rate from parents when we requested written permission to administer the screening to students."

IOWA
West Burlington Jr./Sr. High
Date: Mon, Aug 15, 2005 8:33 AM
Reason for saying NO: "We will not be using the TeenScreen program again"

West DesMoines Schools AEA 11
Valley High School
Date: Fri, Oct 20, 2006 11:49 AM
Reason for saying NO: "Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, is no longer considering the implementation of Teen Screen."

MICHIGAN
Clio Public Schools
Date: Thursday, Oct 19, 2006 7:25 PM
Reason for saying NO: "We do not now - and have NEVER - permitted TeenScreen to screen our students. Yes....we DID invite them in to speak with us and we looked at the program. However, we decided not to go forward."

NEVADA
C.W. Woodbury Middle School
Date: Tue, September 05, 2006 8:01 AM
Reason for saying NO: "We are not going to use TeenScreen again at Woodbury."

Green Valley High School
Date: Tue, January 02, 2007 3:01 PM
Reason for saying NO: "Green Valley High School no longer
participates in the TeenScreen Program, nor does the school plan to do so in the future."

NEW YORK
John F. Kennedy Catholic High School
Date: Thur, Oct 19, 2006 at 9:47 PM
Reason for saying NO: The president of the school confirmed that the school is no longer involved in that program whatsoever"

East Syracuse/Minoa School District
Date sent: Mon, June 12, 2006 10:40:03 AM
Reason for saying NO: "There was a funding issue"

NORTH CAROLINA
Moore County School District
Date: Mon, June 5, 2006 2:29 PM
Reason for saying NO: "We have/had made no commitment to the program and are not planning to implement it."

OKLAHOMA
Douglass High School
Date: Wed, Sept 20, 2006 2:13 PM
Reason for saying NO: "Last year someone contacted us and actually did the program for us. This year I have not heard from anyone."

Emerson High School
Date: Thur, Sept 28, 2006 6:36 PM
Reason for saying NO: "We are not using the screening program anymore."

WASHINGTON STATE
Lynden School District #504
Date: Wed, June 7, 2006 8:01 PM
Reason for saying NO: "We have been told to halt all screening at this time."

WEST VIRGINIA
East Fairmont Jr. High
Date: February 5, 2007 10:44 AM
Reason for saying NO: "Computer issues were a problem."

WISCONSIN
Kenosha Unified School District
Date: Wed, February 14, 2007 at 9:50 AM
Reason for saying NO: "TEENSCREEN IS DEAD IN KENOSHA"

Wisconsin School for the Deaf
Date: Fri, October 20, 2006 11:29 AM
Reason for saying NO: "The Wisconsin School for the Deaf has not implemented the TeenScreen instrument."

Washburn School District
Date Thu, June 15, 2006 10:00 AM
Reason for saying NO: "We did receive a mini grant but did not use and returned grant funds."

Thursday, July 2, 2009

More Parents are Getting Hip to the Scam

As the years progress, more parents are getting hip to the scam of Teen Screen. Teen Screen among many American protesters has received the nickname, "Teen Scam", and rightfully so according to thousands of parents and kids who protest the government program. Recognizing it as a way to put more kids on psychiatric drugs, more parents are saying NO to Teen Screen.


Protesters in Anaheim, CA and Nevada


Niagara Falls, NY

Westhaven


The overall message that these parents and thousands of others across the country are trying to relay is: "We love our children! Stop misdiagnosing them to boost your drug sales!"

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The Funding Source Behind Teen Screen

The Teen Screen program started making headlines as an ill-conceived and unscientific method of screening for mental illnesses among school aged children and teenagers. The first claims were that the Teen Screen Program could identify children at risk for volatile behavior and suicide. Of course they would need a pretty strong argument in order to get funding for this unscientific method of personality profiling. Someone came to their rescue however. It may shock you, then again it may not shock you to know who it was that came to the Teen Screen Program's aid - The pharmaceutical drug industry.

That's right! Monies filtered into the program can be directly tracked back to the pharmaceutical drug industry. What is more, certain members of those drug companies actually helped develop the survey questionnaire which is given to youngsters who participate in the Teen Screen Program.

Does that really surprise you that the main program that puts young children on medicines like: Ritalin, Zoloft, Paxil, and Xanax; is funded by the very pharmaceutical companies that manufacture these drugs. Is it really a coincidence that the developers of the Teen Screen Program are paid members and contributors of these very companies?

Many parents of young children are waking up to the fact that the Teen Screen Program is just an elaborate way to bolster the sales of prescription psychiatric drugs in America. Now is the time to wake up and realize the conspiracy. Join the "No to Teen Screen" Petition and let your voice be heard!

The Face behind TeenScreen

Teen Screen was developed by psychiatrist Dr. David Shaffer. Dr. Shaffer is one of the best in his field, and he is the developer of the program, yet he cannot back the Teen Screen program 100%. Why? Because this governmental funded program is full of inconsistencies, and even its founder knows this. Case in point, here are two quotes from a few years ago by the good doctor himself.
-----------
Dr. David Shaffer is not only the developer of the TeenScreen Program, but also a spokesman for the manufacturer of Prozac, and is also a paid consultant for 3 pharmaeutical companies, most notable GlaxoSmithKline.

Dr. David Shaffer on False Positive Results

Shaffer says that Teen Screen "does identify a whole bunch of kids who aren't really suicidal, so you get a lot of false-positives. And that means if you're running a large program at a school, you're going to cripple the program because you're going to have too many kids you have to do something about."

When asked how he talks to people who express concern over False-Positives being prescribed medicine, he says:
"I think that standing by itself that criticism is meaningless because we don't know what harm the antidepressants do, if any, and we don't know who they do harm to".

Shocking BBC Radio Broadcast on TeenScreen

Some may wonder if all the major school shootings could have been prevented. It is alarming that many of them could have been prevented! If we look back on the school shootings that made headlines in America and abroad, it's scary to admit that all of the children were on some kind of medication utilized by the FDA. For instance, the Columbine High School shooters were both on antidepressants. Eric Harris, one of the shooters, was on the strong medication Zoloft and then later Luvox at the time of the killings. The other killer, Dylan Klebold was on Zoloft and Paxil - two very strong adult medications!

Take a moment to listen to these alarming statements by the BBC radio. (8:23)

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