Bush plans to screen whole US population for mental illness

From the British Medical Journal :-

bmj.bmjjournals.com...

"Bush established the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health in April 2002 to conduct a "comprehensive study of the United States mental health service delivery system." The commission issued its recommendations in July 2003. Bush instructed more than 25 federal agencies to develop an implementation plan based on those recommendations.

The president's commission found that "despite their prevalence, mental disorders often go undiagnosed" and recommended comprehensive mental health screening for "consumers of all ages," including preschool children.

The plan, deceptively titled the "New Freedom Initiative for People with Disabilities", hides it's secrets way down deep in Chapter 4, under the section "Promoting Full Access to Community Life"

The full 2004 progress report can be found here:-
www.whitehouse.gov...

an extract from chapter 4.

"The Commission also concluded that the roles played by states must be central to the transformation process, but states must rely heavily upon the involvement of consumers in research, planning, and evaluation activities. At the same time, the coordinated efforts of more than 25 Federal agencies must undergird and reinforce the states� processes. Every adult with a serious mental illness or child with a serious emotional disturbance must have an individualized plan of care coordinating services among programs and across agencies. Every state must have a comprehensive mental health plan, the ownership of which is shared by all state agencies impacting the care of persons with serious mental illnesses."

So, according to this plan, which seems to be going ahead, every man woman and child in the US is to be screened, analyzed and monitored by the government, and legal enforceable personalized "care" regimes applied to those exhibiting signs of "mental illness".

I wonder how the US members of ATS feel about Mr Bush's new "Ministry of Love"?

How does Mr Bush plan on screening over 260 million people? I find that very hard to believe. Let's just say that you can screen 100,000 people per day. It would still take over 7 years for this to be completed. During that time, the people that were first tested could have come under some type of mental illness before all of the testing can be done. I tell you what it is. It a travesty, a sham, and a mockery. It's a traves-sham-mockery.

Originally posted by nyarlathotep
How does Mr Bush plan on screening over 260 million people? I find that very hard to believe.

You just do it at the same time people get their flue shots...... Who knows how they will administer it...

I have never had a flu shot, neither has anyone in my immediate family. Just doesn't seem economicall feasible. Who is going to pay for these examinations?

Who, I wonder, will be the first to be tested ?

May I suggest President Bush himself. With all what has gone on since he took over, I think he should set a good example and get himself tested. The sooner the better, I think.

I think this story is worthy of more followup... and I'm way too tired (got in from a long flight) to research it. I'd like to see exactly what the Texas initiative is/was that they are talking about.

Anybody able to come up with any data?

from what I understand, they are using existing agency information plus school and pre-school screening initially. The worrying thing is the system described covers all levels, from statistical analysis of existing records from 25 agencies, down to identification and "cure" of individual people. You will be screened without you knowing it.

Originally posted by muppet

whoa, that site is exaggerating what that infers, its just a REPORT to try to help those who need it and to try to prevent the mentally ill from being overlooked and not given proper care, its not talking about screening everyone.

the whole thing is to help disabled better.

[edit on 19-6-2004 by namehere]

Originally posted by namehere
whoa, youre exaggerating what that infers, its just a bill to try to help those who need it and to try to prevent the mentally ill from being overlooked and not given proper care, its not talking about screening everyone.

The thread title is actually the headline from the British Medical Journal. I don't think publications get any more reserved on non-partisan than this. (other daring headlines in the recent issue include "Liposuction doesn�t give the metabolic benefits of weight loss", "Canadian hospitals fight rise in Clostridium infections". Sensationalist, they aren't )

I must admit I've not had time to look into this much yet, and it would probably take as US member who understands the system over there and it's agencies to really interpret.

If it's true though....v.V scarey!!

[edit on 19-6-2004 by muppet]

Originally posted by muppet

well this "According to the commission, "Each year, young children are expelled from preschools and childcare facilities for severely disruptive behaviours and emotional disorders." Schools, wrote the commission, are in a "key position" to screen the 52 million students and 6 million adults who work at the schools." contradicts their own title, you bother to read the report they are talking about?

Well, This is nuts! Anyone who buys into it, well maybe they should be tested! This is just plain nuts!

Originally posted by namehere

Originally posted by muppet

well this "According to the commission, "Each year, young children are expelled from preschools and childcare facilities for severely disruptive behaviours and emotional disorders." Schools, wrote the commission, are in a "key position" to screen the 52 million students and 6 million adults who work at the schools." contradicts their own title, you bother to read the report they are talking about?

No it doesn't. Have you read it?

Originally posted by muppet

No it doesn't. Have you read it?

yea, it says nothing about screening the whole country, it mostly goes on about bush doing this for drug corporations, how their connected, bla bla, its so biased and the title is misleading.

i read the whole article and the government report, that article is so offbase in what it says i could laugh, i bet its an opinion article and nothing more.

[edit on 19-6-2004 by namehere]

If you read the report from the White House, to which the article was referring, it goes into much greater detail. It clearly states a plan to screen people so as to catch mental illness early, and then devise and implement a treatment program for the individual. Chapter 4.

Hopefully when a few more people knowledgeable people have had a look at the report we'll understand more about it's implications... I hope you're right!!

Originally posted by muppet
If you read the report from the White House, to which the article was referring, it goes into much greater detail. It clearly states a plan to screen people so as to catch mental illness early, and then devise and implement a treatment program for the individual. Chapter 4. right!!

i did read it all, it states...

The Commission concluded that the mental health service delivery system in the United States must be substantively transformed. In the transformed system: 1) Americans understand that mental health is essential to overall health; 2) mental health care is consumer and family-driven; 3) disparities in mental health services are eliminated; 4) early mental health screening, assessment, and referral to services are common practice; 5) excellent mental health services are delivered and research is accelerated; and 6) technology is used to access mental health care and information.

The Commission also concluded that the roles played by states must be central to the transformation process, but states must rely heavily upon the involvement of consumers in research, planning, and evaluation activities. At the same time, the coordinated efforts of more than 25 Federal agencies must undergird and reinforce the states� processes. Every adult with a serious mental illness or child with a serious emotional disturbance must have an individualized plan of care coordinating services among programs and across agencies. Every state must have a comprehensive mental health plan, the ownership of which is shared by all state agencies impacting the care of persons with serious mental illnesses.

i see nothing about screening everyone, i dont see any hidden meaning here, if you do please point to it.

I think you and me are seeing different implications here. Maybe you should write to the BMJ and object to their headline.. I only copied it here.

For me the implication of screening anyone for mental health issues is bad enough, but to combine it with a required treatment program, there is far too much room for abuse... Maybe it's just me.

First the government try to control children with Ritalin and antidepressants and now they want to make sure they are mentally disturb so the government can take over the parents consent (because obviously parents will be mentally disturb too) and turn them into zombies, Unbelievable.

Originally posted by muppet
I think you and me are seeing different implications here. Maybe you should write to the BMJ and object to their headline.. I only copied it here.

For me the implication of screening anyone for mental health issues is bad enough, but to combine it with a required treatment program, there is far too much room for abuse... Maybe it's just me.

well most of the report was written because people effected by such illnesses have addressed problems getting treatment, care facilities, medication, they want better screening so people arent left out, this report addresses medical troubles, maybe i see it different because im disabled and know much of it is true, things are so bad it needs severely changed to be adequite for the disabled so i dont see the report as bad.

I wonder just how many will be classed as having a mental illness and whether or not those records will be made public.

I say this because this is potentially a very dangerous path to take, to have a government screen their citizens deciding which are, and which are not mentally ill.

Though these are just my initial thoughts - not thought through and as such - this is just a rant. Not the ranting of someone mentally ill, however, I assure you.

it can be accomplished the same way they accomplish everything. start with a generation at birth.
free federal screening for "defective genes" if you will.
perhaps encourage abortion, leading to further reduction in poulation.
yep, in forty years, DONE