by Lisa Loring
The Daily Kenoshan
March 4, 2006
In the interest of finding out what the heck was going on in our local school district regarding the possible invasion of the child suicide screeners - TeenScreen, I submitted a public records request to the Kenosha Unified School District. Joe Friday's "Just the facts, Ma'am" was the approach I wanted to take.
The public records showed that the school district social worker, Joe Kucak, was working in lockstep with the suicide screeners. The frantic Kucak, worked as if the local TeenScreen battle had national significance, as if TeenScreen was fighting for its last breath of air. Kenosha was the focus and Kucak was on stage. He spent a still undetermined amount of time soliciting letters to support the screeners, to little avail. Kucak worked like a pharmaceutical sales rep closing in on the last Zyprexa sale of the month to ensure a bonus. Luckily Kucak failed as the school board told him "NO!" like a parent scolding a child who stepped off the curb without looking both ways.
One of the public records I obtained, an e-mail, originated from TeenScreen's NYC headquarters. Christina Carro, "Program Coordinator" had written to Kucak. That particular e-mail had an attachment entitled: "Responding to Critics of Mental Health Screening". Ms. Carro instructed Kucak "We would recommend using this document as something for your own reference, but wouldn't recommend distributing it to the general group".
In the document, TeenScreen lists just a few critics of mental screening such as CCHR and Tom Cruise, the Eagle Forum, Concerned Women of America and EdWatch. But what about us Kenoshans! What are we, chopped liver? What do we have to do to get on the list? We stood up to TeenScreen with the documented evidence in our community and it withered before our eyes!
Therefore in the interest of truth, justice and the non-TeenScreen way, we are distributing that document to the "general group" - the entire Internet! You will find it in its entirety below.
In the document, TeenScreen lists just a few critics of mental screening such as CCHR and Tom Cruise, the Eagle Forum, Concerned Women of America and EdWatch. But what about us Kenoshans! What are we, chopped liver? What do we have to do to get on the list? We stood up to TeenScreen with the documented evidence in our community and it withered before our eyes!
I guess we shouldn't feel too left out. They also left off a nation of home schoolers, the snickering non-psychiatric medical community and the rest of the peoples of earth of every race, color and creed!
The only people I see rooting for TeenScreen are NAMI, (funded by pharmaceutical companies), a few mental clinicians who see suicide screening as a possible lucrative career step, the few who have been duped and the pharmaceutical companies playing puppeteer.
Maybe us unlisted Kenoshans can write to Christina Carro at TeenScreen's NYC headquarters and ask what we have to do to get on the TeenScreen critic list!
In addition, for your reading pleasure, please see this additional TeenScreen document entitled "Working with the Media" that lays out TeenScreen's strategy with the media and includes sample letters to editor, sample press releases and instructions on how to do an interview with the press.
Ms. Carro of NYC TeenScreen headquarters - Thank you!
Responding to Critics of Mental Health Screening
TeenScreen Technical Assistance Call
October 24, 2006
INTRODUCTION
The release of the final report of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health and the passage of the federal Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act are just two recent events that have resulted in greater public attention being paid to mental health programs for youth. The increased visibility of mental health screening in particular has resulted in organized opposition against screening programs, including TeenScreen. The groups that have organized these attacks have attacked psychiatry and other mental health organizations for years. They have turned their attention toward screening because of the positive attention mental health screening has received and the rapid growth of programs like TeenScreen.
In the following pages, we will outline for you the primary organizations responsible for these campaigns and what you can do to set the record straight whenever you learn of misinformation related to mental health screening, through letters to the editor, meetings with school and community leaders, and educating parents.
ANTI-SCREENING ORGANIZATIONS
A number of organizations who promote misinformation about the TeenScreen Program have an established anti-mental health agenda. The most prominent example is the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), the advocacy arm of the Church of Scientology. Followers of Scientology, as we know thanks to Tom Cruise's interview on the TODAY Show, are anti-psychiatry and oppose treatment for mental health problems. Representatives and leaders of this group maintain that there is no scientific basis for psychiatry, that DSM diagnosis is purely subjective and that the TeenScreen Program is a front group for the pharmaceutical industry.
PsychSearch.net, run by a member of the Church of Scientology, is one of several fringe Web sites that are anti-psychiatry in nature and circulate a great deal of anti-screening material, including a section devoted to TeenScreen and an on-line "petition" stating their opposition to the TeenScreen Program.
Other groups, such as EdWatch, are opposed to mental health screening on the grounds that screening will lead to over-prescribing of psychiatric medication and interfere with the rights of parents to make decisions about the medical treatment of their children. Screening is not their only focus: EdWatch also distributes information about the dangers of Head Start and other school-based programs. In its mission statement, the group states that the federal government's involvement in the educational system undermines the free-market economy and that education should meet the needs not only of families and schools, but also businesses.
There are also a number of conservative organizations that are opposed to any mental health screening in schools: The Eagle Forum, Concerned Women for America and The Rutherford Institute all claim to object to screening in schools for similar reasons. They believe the screening process will override parental rights. They also worry that if a child screens positive, that child may be forced into a treatment that is not consistent with the parent's values. Interestingly, while these groups maintain that they oppose mental health screening in public schools on the grounds that it is an infringement of the rights and privacy of the family, all three organizations signed a CCHR "Pledge to Children and Families" in 1995 which stated,"We pledge to eliminate… all dangerous and invasive psychiatric/psychologically-based programs assessments, and test from our schools, and funding thereof" Such a pledge contradicts their claims about fighting for parents rights, as the elimination of mental health screening programs from schools takes choice, opportunity and these rights away from parents.
Many of these groups are using misinformation, and in some cases gross distortions, about the TeenScreen Program to build support for opposition to screening in particular and mental health programs for youth in general. For example, some of these groups claim that the federal government is calling for mandatory, universal mental health screening without parent consent of all of our nation's children. This simply is not true. They like to claim that the TeenScreen Program does not require parent consent, despite the fact that we make all of our parent consent forms readily available, including placing them on the TeenScreen Web site. In other cases, these groups have claimed that screening leads to labeling children and forcing them onto medications, despite the fact that the TeenScreen Program does not diagnose youth and refrains from making treatment recommendations. These groups also contend that the TeenScreen Program is a front group for the pharmaceutical industry, despite the fact that the National TeenScreen Program has never accepted funding from a single pharmaceutical company.
It is important to note that some groups, including a number of parent organizations, have legitimate concerns and questions about mental health screening. It is very important to address these legitimate requests for information and make certain that every parent in your community who is offered the opportunity for their child to participate in TeenScreen can speak to you and have their questions answered.
CAMPAIGN TACTICS
As the anti-screening groups attempt to promote their own agenda, some of their representatives may attempt to reach out to your screening program or others in your community in an effort to raise concern about mental health screening. We have found that being prepared for such events makes such outreach less stressful and easier to handle. Below we have listed common tactics anti-screening organizations typically use to try to dissuade local TeenScreen programs from continuing their screening efforts:
Letters. To you. To the local school board. To area school principals. To the local paper. To anyone who will listen. Often times, these letters, sent through the regular mail and via e-mail, are from a "concerned citizen" who in fact lives thousands of miles away. Or, if they are from your area, they do not even have a child who is eligible to participate in the program or they may not even be a parent at all. In cases like these it is important to point out that these individuals clearly have their own agenda, and are using your screening program to make a larger statement about their views of mental illness. Such cases also underscore the importance of building community support for your screening program early in the site development process. Individuals who have already been informed about your screening program will be less alarmed should they receive such a letter.
Requests for Information. In an attempt to obtain documents that are proprietary (such as the screening instruments provided by Columbia University) or to redirect your attention from your screening program, some individuals will pretend they are a local parent and request a variety of materials for their reference. In this case, it is important to verify whether or not they are in fact the parent of a youth who has been offered the opportunity to participate. In other situations, some groups will go so far as to issue a formal request for your program information. In the next section we will review in greater detail how to handle both types of requests.
Attending Local Meetings. If you live in an area where there are individuals who do not support your program, do not be surprised if they make their presence, and their opinions, known at local community forums, such as school board meetings or town hall meetings. Again, being prepared to address their concerns can defuse the situation and reaffirm community support for your program.
Web Sites and Blogs. Much of the actual information proliferated by these groups remains on their own Web sites and Web logs, or blogs. It is when members of your community find these sites (or are led there by an anonymous e-mail message) that the information these groups disseminate becomes problematic. It is important to familiarize yourself with their major arguments against screening so that you can address the concerns of your supporters and members of the community at-large.
HOW TO RESPOND
These campaigns of misinformation are designed to stir up fear, confusion and outrage. What's more, their efforts are part of a larger attack to discredit all mental health programs and confuse families about what (and who) to believe. They encouraging news is that the truth is on our side, and their efforts can easily be countered with facts and research supporting the TeenScreen Program.
Responding to Letters and Misinformation in the Media.
Let's consider the letters that a number of TeenScreen sites and members of their communities have received from anti-screening organizations. Often times, these letters come from outside your community. We have found that a small group of people are contacting screening sites throughout the nation, falsely identifying themselves as a concerned community member, parent or student. The first thing to do when this happens is determine if the person writing letters is actually a parent, student or member of your community. It will be very important to point out to recipients of such letters that these are interlopers who are trying to influence what your community has chosen to do to help youth, based on their beliefs, not those of your own community members. It is equally important to obtain a copy of the letter so that you can address any misinformation included in the letter.
For example, if a school board member in your community receives a letter from Clearwater Florida (the headquarters of CCHR) that states you are screening youth without parent permission and diagnosing them at school, it will be very important to assure this person that this is not true. Sharing basic program information with them, such as the facts and figures included in the key facts document which can be found on page 6, and a copy of the parent consent forms you use will go far to assure them that your program respects the rights of parents and is acting responsibly.
If such a letter gets into the mainstream media, or if an opponent to mental health screening is interviewed for a story in your local newspaper, there are two strategies that you can employ to counter their arguments. First, contact the reporter that wrote the story and point out to them the inaccuracies in the story. The second thing you can do is write a letter to the editor, in which you can outline what the TeenScreen Program is – and what it is not. When writing such a letter, a good place to start is the sample letter we have provided on page 7 of this handout.
Responding to Requests for Information
Parental Request For Information
It is very important to answer every legitimate request for information that comes from a local parent. The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requires that in every school-based screening program, if a parent wants information about his/her child's screening results, he/she must be given the opportunity to review the student's responses and the questions should be presented, read and/or explained to the parent. Please note that:
FERPA does not require that copies of screening records be provided to parents.
Sites cannot provide a physical copy of the screening instrument to parents since all of TeenScreen's instruments are copyrighted.
Parents may take notes on their children's responses.
TeenScreen recommends reviewing the clinician's overall impression with parents, rather than the instrument results only, to help parents fully understand the screening process, results and clinical recommendations.
For additional information on FERPA and other guidelines for speaking with parents about your TeenScreen program, please contact National TeenScreen Program staff.
Public Records Request
If at some point you receive a more formal request, also known as a "Public Records Request", from an anti-screening organization, there are specific guidelines that your National TeenScreen Program Coordinator can explain to you, that will help you through the process. Important points to remember:
After you receive such a request, alert the leadership at your school/organization to the potential for criticism of your screening efforts and proactively provide accurate information about the TeenScreen Program.
Inform all school/organization staff that all inquires regarding the TeenScreen program should be fielded by your local program coordinator. This ensures that accurate information about your program will be conveyed. Be sure to alert secretaries and support staff as well as program staff and/or faculty.
It is best not to engage in a discussion about the merits of screening. These people have a specific agenda and may manipulate your response to their advantage.
You may share TeenScreen Program materials such as consent forms when they are requested or demanded by others citing your state's public record request laws. Please note, however, that TeenScreen's screening instruments are proprietary and cannot be shared with anyone outside of your screening team under any circumstances.
Responding to Anti-Screening Sentiments at a Public Meeting.
You obviously cannot prevent individuals with an anti-mental health agenda from attending public meetings, but you can prepare to address their concerns! In doing so, you will also be well-prepared to answer legitimate questions about your screening program. As something new to many people, questions naturally arise about mental health screening, and members of your community will look to you to answer their questions.
If you do encounter an opponent to screening at a public meeting or forum, take that opportunity to immediately correct any misinformation that is presented. Invite additional questions about the program from other meeting attendees, so that they recognize that you, not the screening opponent, are the correct source of information about your local TeenScreen Program. Finally, you should invite attendees to visit the TeenScreen Web site, where complete and accurate program information can be found.
Responding to Information on Anti-Screening Web Sites and Blogs
The vast majority of information disseminated by groups with an anti-mental health agenda remains on their own Web sites and blogs. While we cannot stop them from posting inaccurate information to these sites, or sending e-mails to communities inviting the public to visit these sites, we can prepare ourselves and our communities for encounters with such information. The TeenScreen Web site, particularly the "Setting the Record Straight" section of the site , is very helpful when responding to critic's false assertions about mental health screening and the TeenScreen Program. Being proactive and arming yourself with information about screening opponents is also important. If you are aware of these groups and their tactics and can help explain their agenda to a concerned member of your community, they will feel secure about your confidence and knowledge of the program.
Finally, the National TeenScreen Program is always here to assist you, to provide support and is continually developing materials for your use, as you continue the important work of educating your community about TeenScreen and mental health check-ups for youth.
see www.dailykenoshan.com
