Commentary on HR 5006 and the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health
by Linda Liberty

I don't get it. On the one hand I've read that caffeine is a psychotropic drug and that I should limit my intake of coffee. On the other hand, my country is being led by a President who supports mandatory psychiatric testing of children (and adults) resulting in prescribing psychotropic drugs such as Ritalin, a drug sold on the street for its cocaine-like effects.

On September 9, Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) proposed an amendment to appropriations bill (HR 5006) to prevent funds sought by the bill from being used for the mandatory mental health screening of Americans, including public schoolchildren. Sadly, the Ron Paul Amendment was defeated in the House of Representatives by a vote of 95-315.

While investigating the above amendment by Ron Paul, I came across this eye opener. The Phoenix office of the FBI put out a pamphlet for their joint counterterrorism operations that said that people who are “defenders of the US Constitution against federal government and the UN” and “make numerous references to the US Constitution” should be monitored as potential murderous and fanatical terrorists, by extension, considered mentally unstable. By this standard the founding fathers of America would have been considered mentally unstable. You can read about this at: http://www.keepandbeararms.com/newsarchives/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=2126

If any of this sounds like a good idea to you, consider this. Several school shooters, like Eric Harris (Columbine), Kip Kinkel (Oregon), and Jason Hoffman (San Diego) were on antidepressants or stimulants or both at the time of their crimes. Eric Harris was taking Luvox, an anti-depressant, when he shot his fellow classmates at Columbine High School. Mark Taylor, a surviving victim of the shooting spree sued Solvay, the manufacturers of Luvox. Taylor states: "Eric was forced onto these drugs and I feel sorry for him, like so many other kids who are put on these drugs. I don't have ill feelings against him since I don't think you can hold him accountable, because he didn't know what he was doing." Taylor's lawsuit against Solvay claims that the mind-altering drug Luvox was the cause of Harris' rampage - that the drug made Harris manic and psychotic.

A consultant in Taylor’s lawsuit, Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, says: “It’s really crazy when you think about it. All you have to do is read the Luvox package insert to see that Eric’s actions were due to an adverse reaction to this drug. Show me a drug anywhere that has listed mania and psychosis as frequent adverse reactions. That is what the insert says for Luvox. There is no doubt in my mind that Luvox caused Eric Harris to commit these acts.”

Since this tragedy, the prescribing of Luvox had been discontinued throughout the world. Should American children be the guinea pigs for pharmaceutical testing of psychotropic drugs?

In his article, "Veil of Secrecy to Lift on Drug Tests", Gregory M. Lamb writes: "On Aug. 20, the FDA released a review of previous clinical research that confirmed a link between suicidal thoughts and antidepressants. It showed that children taking the drugs were nearly twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts or behavior as those receiving sugar pills." He goes on to report: "As allegations have piled up against the drug companies, the FDA also has come under scrutiny. In August 2003 the drug firm Wyeth asked the FDA for permission to place a stronger warning label on its antidepressant Effexor, saying it could worsen depression or suicidal thoughts. The FDA denied the request."

Why would the FDA block warnings like these? Maybe because Americans might see the direct relationship between the prescribing of psychotropic drugs and the increase in violence and suicide in children. We might even rebel against Orwellian political measures such as mandatory mental health screening in America.

Who benefits? Pharmaceutical companies and politicians receiving donations from these companies. Who loses? The taxpayers. In his article, "The Hidden side of Psychiatry", Gary Null, Ph.D. states "Psychiatrists make up 8 percent of doctors , but 18 percent of those health care practitioners have been kicked out of the Medicare system for fraud. Last year, $411 million was paid to the government in fines and penalties for health care fraud and 90 percent of that was paid by psychiatrists or psychiatric institutions. He goes on to state that "fraudulent insurance practices hurt taxpayers since the maintenance of moderate insurance rates becomes virtually impossible. Consider these figures. The American public is swindled out of $42 billion a year. That's $3 billion a month, $800 million a week, $116 million a day, $4 million an hour, $80,000 a minute, and $1300 a second".

Check out the "President's New Freedom Commission on Mental health" at: http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/reports/FinalReport/FullReport-05.htm to see what liberty bashing tactics Bush has up his sleeve: Additionally, given the high incidence of substance use disorders among parents of children in the child welfare system, where indicated, these parents should be screened for co-occurring disorders (mental health and substance abuse) and linked with appropriate treatment and supports.

Whew! I'm not on welfare or receiving social services or state aid! I don't have to worry about drug or mental health screening at my next physical...except the next section reads: Expand Screening and Collaborative Care in Primary Care Settings The Commission suggests that collaborative care models should be widely implemented in primary health care settings and reimbursed by public and private insurers.

I should have seen this coming. After years of listening to my friends and co-workers rationalize such procedures as drug testing, it should be no small wonder that something like this would happen. We opened the doors when we allowed and even condoned the testing of the chemical levels in our bodies. It stands to reason that the next invasion would be into our emotional levels. I think the President should rename this commission: The President's New Anti-Freedom Commission on Government Voyeurism, Eugenics, and Social Control.

Next year I think I'll skip the physical but continue my psychotropic intake at a steady 2 cups a day.