Children's Mental Health Act of 2003: Speak Out Against Mandatory Stimulant Use for Poorly Performing Students

For our own safety, the state of IL feels that we should have at least ten times as many children addicted to controlled substances as the rest of the nation. The Children's Mental Health Act of 2003 requires mandatory screenings of all pregnant women, new mothers, and children. Its proponents also encourage mandatory chemical treatments for illnesses found in these screenings. Governor Blagojevich still has opportunities to minimalize the impact of the Children's Mental Health Act of 2003, but isn't likely to unless he hears from the people of his state.

One of the goals of this Act is to diagnose and medicate at least 1 out of every 10 children in the state. If any of your siblings or children has ever been sent to the principal or received less than a C, they will be the first targets. Screenings began in 2004. I've researched the pros and cons of this Act and the suggested implementation. According to the CQ Researcher, the United Nations sponsored International Narcotics Control Board has repeatedly warned the United States against "over prescribing stimulants, noting that 90 percent of the world's Ritalin is consumed in the United States." We need to discourage the Governor from letting our state become the leader in such abuses. We need to contact his office and let them know that the people are watching, and we care about our children and siblings.

The problem is that the Chemical treatments for the illnesses screened for are excessively dangerous for children. According to the Chicago Tribune, "...the Food and Drug Administration decided to place strict 'black box' warnings on antidepressants, cautioning that the medications increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and teens." At FDA hearings in September of 2004, Peg Nichols of CHADD, an advocacy group for those with attention deficit disorder, told the Tribune how "Family members shared their anguish about the 12-year-old who hanged herself, the 13-year-old who jumped off a bridge, the 18-year-old who went into his closet and shot himself ... to name a few,"

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 25.8% of our state population is children. If the conservative goal of mandatory treatments is achieved, over 325,000 children in this state will be on what the International Narcotics Control Board called "performance-enhancing drugs" to simple "boost school performance or help the conform with the demands of school life." Would you rather have a sibling or child with poor grades, or one that hangs herself in the night? Whichever it is, you need to tell the Governor.

The solution to the problem is to tell the last elected official with any power over this issue what the voters in his state want. One of the Governor's strongest issues has been the education and health of children. He is very concerned with public opinion of his actions in these areas, and he is the one with the power to approve the implementations of this Act. All you need to do is give the Governor a quick email or phone call. He may not get it directly, but someone in his office is keeping track of public opinion.

So few of the people int this state have any knowledge of this issue, and fewer still have voiced an opinion. With so little to go on, every single voice he hears weighs heavily on his decision. Children that are diagnosed through screening are entitled treatment by the state according to the act. There is no reason to force dangerous treatment that even the FDA warns against. If we don't take it too far, this Act has the potential to benefit us all.

According to the Tribune, "Suicide claims the lives of 2,000 you people each year, making it the third leading cause of mortality in youths age 10 to 19." Regularly screening children's mental health, as we do for physical and dental health, is a logical preventative measure. The CQ Researcher sites a 1995 study that while "3-7 percent of the childhood population was estimated to be affected by ADD, only 1.8-2.7 percent of school aged children were taking stimulants." If treatment is made mandatory, over 10 percent of our children are to be diagnosed and treated. How many more childhood suicides will we have then?

Now that you know the reason the Act was initiated, and the dangers of over-enforcing it, there is something you can do about it. Write or call the Governor's office and tell the Governor how dangerous it is to make childhood mental health medications mandatory. Whether you're writing or calling, don't forget to mention anything that may cause him to weigh your opinion more heavily. Tell him if you are a registered voter, hold a leadership position, or work in a field that impacts education or politics.