44. Mental Health Screening (5/05)

Return to Index: Resolutions    

Whereas an increasing number of federal and state mental health screening programs are being established to screen preschool and school children as well as young children, teens, and adults; and

Whereas the questions asked during the screenings are so general and ambiguous that nearly anyone could be identified as mentally ill or in need of further testing; and

Whereas doctors, workers in health clinics, school personnel, social service workers, juvenile justice authorities, etc. are all being encouraged to conduct such screenings, and people may not realize that they are being screened; and

Whereas screenings are especially targeted at groups considered marginal to the mainstream of our society because of their practices, small numbers, and/or anti-social behavior (categories in which homeschoolers could easily be included); and

Whereas certain institutions and professionals are either suspicious or critical of homeschooling or have vested interests in stopping people from homeschooling; and

Whereas mental health screenings could be used as an effective way to curtail homeschooling; and

Whereas the pharmaceutical industry is spending large sums of money to encourage professionals and legislators to promote mental health screening; and

Whereas the drugs that are being administered through these programs to people who are diagnosed as “mentally ill” through these screenings have been shown to be harmful to people;

Be it resolved by members of Wisconsin Parents Association (WPA) that WPA will work to inform its members, homeschoolers throughout the state, and the general public about the importance of recognizing mental health screenings in whatever setting they occur, to inform them of their rights and responsibilities as parents and as patients, to question and/or refuse such screenings, and to oppose legislation that encourages or requires mental health screening that leads to highly subjective identification of mental illness and use of drugs for treatment. 5/2005