Actresses Push Bills to Curb Use of Psychotropic Drugs (partial sanity by FL legislature)

The Lakeland Ledger ^ | April 20, 2005 | BRENDAN FARRINGTON

[ChildOfThe60s]

TALLAHASSEE -- Actresses Kirstie Alley and Kelly Preston pleaded with lawmakers Tuesday to prohibit schools from denying services to students who won't take mood-altering drugs to treat mental disorders.

Alley sobbed as she told members of the House Education Council the stories of children who committed suicide or died after taking psychotropic drugs.

"Here's an example of parents who didn't know what could happen who just blindly went along with referrals and information," Alley said before holding up blown-up, color photos of children she said died after being prescribed medicines like Zoloft and Ritalin. "None of these children were psychotic before they took these drugs, none of these children were suicidal before they took these drugs."

Both actresses are Scientologists and after the meeting said they were opposed to any child taking psychotropic medication.

Children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be eligible for special education programs for students with disabilities, including curriculum adjustments, alternative classrooms and increased parent and teacher involvement. The bill would prohibit schools receiving state money to deny those services if those students don't take prescribed drugs to treat the condition.

Alley's pleas, though, came after the committee stripped language from the bill that would have required schools to tell parents that there is no medical test to diagnose a mental disorder and that they can refuse a psychological screening for their children.

The committee also removed part of the bill that would have required schools to inform parents that physical conditions may be the cause of mental and behavioral problems, that they should consult with a medical doctor about such problems and that a diagnosed mental disorder will stay on a student's permanent record.

Committee Chairman Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said the language was written in such a way that schools may feel they can't refer students for psychological evaluation. He agreed that the medications are overprescribed, but said that they help children when prescribed properly.

"For certain patients, it's absolute magic the order it brings to their life," he said.

The bill's sponsor, Gus Barreiro, criticized him, saying he was interfering because his son is a psychiatrist.

"I would never vote on a bill that affects my family member," said Barreiro, R-Miami. "Stripping out complete disclosure from the parents and complete choice for the parent is wrong."

Earlier, Preston also asked lawmakers to keep the disclosure language.

"I cannot comprehend how anyone would oppose a bill that ensures parents are given all the information needed to make an informed decision for their child," she said.

Once the language was taken out, the bill (HB 209) passed unanimously.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Ignore for a moment that the two actresses are ga ga in a major way. The meat of the story lies elsewhere:

The bill would prohibit schools receiving state money to deny those services if those students don't take prescribed drugs to treat the condition.

Remove the financial incentive for school administrators to bully parents. In some cases they threaten to have the state take the children away.

the committee stripped language from the bill that would have required schools to tell parents that there is no medical test to diagnose a mental disorder and that they can refuse a psychological screening for their children.

This would have scaled down the bullying and threats by school personel.They absolutely hate for parents to know their rights.

"I cannot comprehend how anyone would oppose a bill that ensures parents are given all the information needed to make an informed decision for their child," she said.

Exactly why the lawmakers removed the language from the bill. They DO NOT want parents to be able to make informed decisions.

FYI, Polk County, where I live, is ritalin heaven. Thousands of kids on the stuff & this is not a populous county. We are literarily living Brave New World here as regards the pharmacological method of behavior modification.

[maggief]

$cientology.


http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/epaper/2005/04/20/a4a_skuldrugs_0420.html

Alley said she was moved to speak on the topic because she is a former cocaine addict and is involved with Narconon, a nonprofit drug rehabilitation program connected to the Church of Scientology.

(snip)

[Jason Kauppinen]

Politics and strange bedfellows eh?

[LadyDoc]

I don't prescribe Ritalin and I agree in many school districts that feminist types give hyperactive boys AKA "all boy" types Ritalin to calm them down.

But there are children who need this drug..often because they have interuterine brain damage due to mother's drug use/alcohol use, or (as with some of my relatives) due to hypertension/pre eclampsia or prematurity.

As for anti depressants, scientologists hate them. But despite all the "suicides" and violence of children on these medicines, the statistics show the sucide rates are actually down...so even though they increase the impulsive type of suicide, there are fewer suicides on the whole...

[Red Badger]

We are literarily living Brave New World here as regards the pharmacological method of behavior modification.

Brave New World where everything that is now considered moral is immoral and VICE VERSA......(pun intended).....

[ClaireSolt]

I want government to get out of medicine. It is just too complicated and changing. Legislators do not have the expertise.

Beyond that, they do have jurisdiction over schools and should consider reforms that empower teachers to manage classrooms better with the children in them. This might include some tort reform, so educators are not always looking over their shoulders, afraid of irate parents. But mostly, it requires faculty and administration creating atmospheres of order and learning conducive to compliance, and many must need help in this area.

[ChildOfThe60s]

It was not my intention to have a thread that was primarily devoted to the pluses and minuses of ritalan per se, but to the excesses of a school system run amock; the harassment of parents that don't toe the party line, the incompetence of teachers and administrators that want to drup children into zombie-like submission.

Nitwits [that barely hit 900 on the SAT] with BAs in education playing medical doctor. In this state (or county at least) the process to *force* a child on to ritalin is very streamlined. All it takes is one teacher (many are not very bright-I have firsthand knowledge) to get the kid sent to a "doctor". Quotes used because I question the ethics of the ones used by the system around here. There is usually a particular doctor that the school will claim must be used. Then a 5 minute exam and judgment. i.e. quacks (IMO) that are there to rubber stamp the claims of these teachers.

In addition to the normal activity of 10 year old boys, we have hordes of undisciplined little monsters raised by day care centers and parents that are clueless about handling children. Ritalin is not a solution to the behavior of children with bad parents.

The school system does not want children to be children. Make all the teachers sit still for 7 hours straight, eat lunch in silence, and have no choice with whom the sit at their [20 minute] lunch. We'd have to put most of them on drugs in short order.

And eliminate the teacher's lounge & smoking breaks. Since the kids have no recess, the adults should be subjected to the equivilent. Sauce for goose is sauce for the gander.

[hipaatwo]

My son has ADHD/ODD. The school couldn't wait for me to get him Ritalin. In fact on the days he was hyper I would get calls at work "Did you give him his pill?" He's hyper today. Needless to say my son, who is now 19, dropped out of high school. Unless totally medicated, sedated, they want no part of them. He couldn't focus on the Ritalin, he was too tired, and without it they didn't want to deal with him.

[politicalwit]

Is the fat lady singing?

[pookie18]

Preston has been on the radio (twice) & TV with Hannity in recent weeks to discuss this topic.

[walden]

My youngest is just about to graduate high school, and my conclusion after 13 years observation of the public schools is that most of the best and brightest and most loving teachers have gradually gone away, and we're mostly left with incompetents who don't like children, period end of story.

After putting my children through college, my next financial goal is to save enough money to be able to pay for private school for the grandchildren I hope to have. It's just too expensive for most families to do that, and I can't think of a better use for my money.

[subterfuge]

I believe the overall percentage of kids who need these drugs is extemely small. And lots of "doctors" are perscribing them because they are useful idiots.

My daughter a few years back had a school administrator say she should be checked for ADD and ADHD because she'd forget to turn assginments in and other similar stuff.

We took her to the MD she'd seen since birth (she was 12 or so at the time) and ol' Doc Silverstein looked in her eyes and ears, asked her a couple of questions and proclaimed tha she indeed "has a touch of ADD."

I said you're out of you mind and we've never been back to that crackpot since. Oh, and my daughter is doing just fine in school and otherwise.

[subterfuge]

"After putting my children through college, my next financial goal is to save enough money to be able to pay for private school for the grandchildren I hope to have. It's just too expensive for most families to do that, and I can't think of a better use for my money.

What a great idea walden!

[ChildOfThe60s]

A very worthy gift to give.

We [primarily] homeschooled, which was a financial sacrifice in a way, but in reality an investment that paid untold dividends for my daughter. She is happier, well adjusted, extremely well educated and has expressed graditude many times that she spent so little time in public school.

She is an honors graduate of a private college that she attended on full scholarship.

There is no amount of money that can be equated with this.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Try giving ritalin to my daughter....just try, please....

[nw_arizona_granny]

ping

[walden]

Homeschooling is wonderful for those who can do it. But, I was divorced from their father and needed to work. One does what one can. ;)

[ChildOfThe60s]

Agreed. It would be great if more could do it.

Since they can't, we must do everything possible to clean up public education by providing things like school choice. Activisim at the county level is really needed, but it's like swimming in molasses. Intelligent people are so outnumbered.

[Marysecretary]

Good for you! I offered to pay for my oldest granddaughter's education in a Christian school but they didn't want her to go. How foolish. Fortunately she's a bright young lady, well thought of, and not a problem, but what about the kids who are? My sympathies go out to them.

[AppyPappy]

Anti-depressants compete with the products and therapies sole by Scientologists. That's why they hate them.