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Illinois First State to Force Mental Health Screening for Women and Children

In July 2003, the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health released their report admitting the nation’s mental health system was in shambles and needed a huge overhaul (see http://www.nmha.org/newsroom/system/news.vw.cfm?do=vw&rid=551). But instead of looking to churches and private Christian programs that encourage personal responsibility and accountability to God for better mental health, the commission recommended the government provide nationwide "early mental health screening, assessment, and referral to services" for women and children ages 0 – 18 (see http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/reports/FinalReport/FullReport-05.htm). In July 2004, the state of Illinois has taken the New Freedom Commission’s cue by teaming up with drug companies to force mental screening and diagnosis on their citizens (see http://www.newswithviews.com/NWVexclusive/exclusive32.htm and http://www.couplescompany.com/Features/Politics/2004/BigBrotherPregnancy.htm for the full story). All pregnant mothers will be required to undergo depression screening—both during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum—and all children from birth to age 18 will periodically be required to receive mandatory mental health screening in search of various psychological disorders.

The Illinois government has decided to first implement its mental health reformation in the Illinois school system, where every child will periodically be required to undergo a mental health screening. As a result of the screening, many children will be diagnosed with one or more disorders and potentially forced to undergo psychotherapy and take psychotropic drugs per a standardized treatment program.

The long-term consequences of this program will be devastating for Illinois mothers and children, as mental health "experts" could subjectively diagnose them with disorder labels that will be on public record and follow them for the rest of their lives. Their disorder labels will affect every aspect of their lives, including their schooling, employment, health care, rights and privileges, and social/family life. After diagnosis, children and mothers will likely be mandated by the government as part of their treatment program to take antidepressant, antianxiety and stimulant medication for their "diseases" of depression, anxiety, bipolar, ADD/ADHD, etc. These mandates could be instituted without a shred of medical testing showing a true disease exists and without proof that the prescribed drugs will be effective.

If the Illinois program is duplicated in other states, we could witness an alliance of government bureaucrats, public schools and pharmaceutical drug companies that will turn future generations into drug-addicted automatons of the state. If there was ever a time to start home-schooling our children, it is now. Now is the time for the church to take back control of our families from the grip of the psychology and pharmaceutical industries. The New Freedom Commission on Mental Health offers no freedom at all, but rather more bondage to man-made systems of mental help. Jesus Christ died and rose again to set men, women and children free from the sinful behaviors that the psychology industry describes as disorders and attempts to fix with their harmful and unproven drugs and therapies. Now is the time to say to the world, "Jesus Christ is sufficient for us!"

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