[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 167 (Monday, November 9, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2755-E2756]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 6, 2009

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I voted against H. Res. 700, designating the 
week of November 9 as National School Psychology Week to draw attention 
to the threat to liberty posed by proposals that school physiologists 
perform mandatory mental evaluations of all school children without 
parental consent.
  The New Freedom Commission on Mental Health has recommended that the 
federal and state governments work toward the implementation of a 
comprehensive system of mental-health screening for all Americans. The 
commission recommends that universal or mandatory mental-health 
screening first be implemented in public schools as a prelude to 
expanding it to the general public. However, neither the commission's 
report nor any related mental-health screening proposal requires 
parental consent before a child is subjected to mental-health 
screening. Federally funded universal or mandatory mental-health 
screening in schools without parental consent could lead to labeling 
more children as ``ADD'' or ``hyperactive'' and thus force more 
children to take psychotropic drugs, such as Ritalin, against their 
parents' wishes.
  Too many children are suffering from being prescribed psychotropic 
drugs for nothing more than children's typical rambunctious behavior. 
According to Medco Health Solutions, more than 2.2 million children are 
receiving more than one psychotropic drug at one time. In fact, 
according to Medico Trends, in 2003, total spending on psychiatric 
drugs for children exceeded spending on antibiotics or asthma 
medication.
  Many children have suffered harmful side effects from using 
psychotropic drugs. Some of the possible side effects include mania, 
violence, dependence, and weight gain. Yet, parents are already being 
threatened with child abuse charges if they resist efforts to drug 
their children. Imagine how much easier it will be to drug children 
against their parents' wishes if a federally funded mental-health 
screener makes the recommendation.
  Universal or mandatory mental-health screening could also provide a 
justification for stigmatizing children from families that support 
traditional values. Even the authors of mental-health diagnosis manuals 
admit that mental-health diagnoses are subjective and based on social 
constructions. Therefore, it is all too

[[Page E2756]]

easy for a psychiatrist to label a person's disagreement with the 
psychiatrist's political beliefs a mental disorder. For example, a 
federally funded school violence prevention program lists 
``intolerance'' as a mental problem that may lead to school violence. 
Because ``intolerance'' is often a code word for believing in 
traditional values, children who share their parents' values could be 
labeled as having mental problems and a risk of causing violence. If 
the mandatory mental-health screening program applies to adults, 
everyone who believes in traditional values could have his or her 
beliefs stigmatized as a sign of a mental disorder. Taxpayer dollars 
should not support programs that may label those who adhere to 
traditional values as having a ``mental disorder.''
  In order to protect our nation's children from mandatory mental 
health screening, I have introduced introduce the Parental Consent Act 
(H.R. 2218). This bill forbids Federal funds from being used for any 
universal or mandatory mental-health screening of students without the 
express, written, voluntary, informed consent of their parents or legal 
guardians. This bill protects the fundamental right of parents to 
direct and control the upbringing and education of their children. I 
hope all my colleagues will cosponser H.R. 2218.

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