My wife and I walked into an elementary school parent/teacher conference expecting to see our son’s classwork and maybe a discussion about behavior and class participation. I wanted to see his artwork because I wanted one of my kids to carry on my legacy. We were well-versed on his homework because we paid attention to what he was doing. I was “excited.” That excitement disappeared.
Instead of leading with the “Rs,” we were told by the female teacher that our son was hyperactive/ADHD and [likely] needed to be medicated. My response wasn’t muted. I asked the teacher what medical school she got her MD from and how she came up with her diagnosis. My wife, being more of the diplomat, asked me to sit down. She asked more on-point questions. Like:
What behavior was our son exhibiting that gave the teacher the impression that he needed to be medicated?
The teacher detailed how he would fidget when his work was done that he was active and always looking around. There were other manners of being “very active” that I do not recall specifically, but when the teacher had finished detailing what our son did, my wife said:
“Oh, so… he acts like a boy?”
My wife offered some suggestions for what to do and ended by saying that we would not medicate our son because he didn’t need medication. He was just a boy.
In Illinois, a bill was signed by über-leftist Governor JB Pritzker at a local middle school. He was flanked by the usual clapping seals who, apparently, can’t or won’t see the dangers of the particular mental health “tests” that students will be given pursuant to the legislation.
Gov. JB Pritzker signed the bill, SB1560, into law at Chute Middle School in Evanston, making Illinois the first state in the nation to have this requirement.
“Access to mental healthcare—especially for children—is too often overlooked or ignored,” Pritzker said. “Thanks to the bill sponsors and partners joining me today, annual mental health screenings will be available for all Illinois students in grades three through twelve by the 2027 school year. This is a national first worth celebrating.”
Is it worth celebrating? I have misgivings.
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A proposed test is the PHQ-9. It asks questions that, if a student answers them affirmatively in the student’s “universe” of life experience, that student is very likely to be evaluated as “depressed” and a candidate for medication.
Is the test valid? That particular test was developed by a guy named Howard Kroplick. Kroplick wasn’t an MD; he was a marketing guy. Who did he market for? Pfizer.
Although “conflict of interest” is blaring at 120 decibels, apparently, Illinois Democrats can’t hear it. They would rather have children take a “check the box” test that might label them a “candidate” for medication than take the time to talk to a student.
While the PHQ-9 was created with good intentions, can depression be simplified to a 9-question, one-page questionnaire? To thoughtfully screen patients for depression requires more than a 10-to-15-minute exam. It requires clinical evaluation. The PHQ-9 does not suffice for a proper diagnosis if the patient is experiencing other commonly intertwined conditions like ADHD, addiction, eating disorders, alcoholism, and trauma, resulting in patients not being properly diagnosed or treated.
Depression is treated like a strep infection, with prescriptions churned out by primary care doctors with little to no training in mental health, says Tom Insel, the former head of the National Institute of Mental Health. He stated, “There’s more to treating depression than writing a prescription.”
Allen Frances, a professor emeritus of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University, stated, “The tendency is to not even look at the patient” during a typical visit. Instead, there are boxes to be checked, a stamp of diagnosis, and then send patients on their way. Physicians aren’t thinking about the cause of a patient’s depression, like job loss, money, or divorce.
“You’re thinking: ‘Aha, the test score says this person’s depressed, if I give them a pill, I’ll get them out of the office, they’ll be happy.” – Allen Frances
If I were an Illinois parent, I would 100 percent opt out of the test. But what are the consequences for opting out? My guess is, parents opting out would be called in to an administration meeting and grilled about why they opted out. Next, the child would be asked questions by his or her teacher that would lead to the school psychologist flagging the student anyway. Catch 22. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am. Will other states follow? It’s likely that states like California will follow suit. California passed legislation allowing students to “change” their “gender” without telling their parents. Teachers sued the district over that policy. Passing a similar law regarding “depression screening” seems certain in other blue states.
Most parents won’t opt out because they will be bullied with “Don’t you want to know if your child is depressed?” questions.
Big Pharma will get bigger as sales of “anti-depressant” drugs like Zoloft will be prescribed to students who may have had a bad day when they took the PHQ-9 test. If you clicked on the Zoloft link, the actress looks happy. Take Zoloft. Be happy.
Checking enough boxes on a test developed by a marketing guy will inform teachers that students are “depressed.” How do they fix that depression? Simple. Medication. Opt out, and your child is probably depressed. Take the test, and your child is likely to be labeled depressed.
There was muted pushback by Republicans, but the bill passed anyway. Testing is two years away.
Good luck, parents. Good luck, kids.
