Mandatory Depression Testing

[Justice2]

Illinois bill would require all children, birth - 18 and all preggo women to undergo metal testing for depressive orders. This really freaks me out. EVERYONE at some point exhibits some symptom of depression without being depressed. Are they going to force these preggo women and 4 year olds to be drugged too? It's really freaky. (I got this from a midwifery list that I am on)..

Mandatory testing

Sighting early intervention as key to academic success and crime prevention, this new law, if enacted according to current recommendations, would also require all pregnant women to be screened prior to delivery for depression and periodically for the first six months after she gives birth.

[wombat]

Firstly I don't think 'mandatory screening' means you have to consent to it. After dd was born, our military pediatric clinic implemented this type of general depression screen for new moms. But there was no penalty for refusing it. I think the 'mandatory' part comes from hospitals or health professionals being forced to offer it to all clients.

I have mixed feelings on this type of general screening. I can see the point of it - early intervention is a good idea. I'm sure my mother was depressed a lot of the time and I wish someone had tested her, and intervened in my childhood a bit!! I had a teenage brother who also committed suicide. My mother wasn't in any position to help prevent that and probably contributed to it. This kind of general screening may have helped in our family.

However I see huge potential for misuse. I actually was clinically depressed during my pregnancy and was having treatment (first meds then therapy). However I didn't have any PPD. In fact I stopped going to the weekly therapy sessions after dd was born because I was too sick physically and couldn't get there. That was my choice and my assessment to stop treatment and my psych. was fine with that. However I later answered the Pediatric clinics screening questionnaire and scored in the depressed zone (although I wasn't clinically depressed at this point according to both me and psychiatrist). And after a ped visit when I stormed out cause they wanted to vax my 2mo old WITHOUT her even seeing a doctor first, they wrote something like "mother angry and refusing to vax, scored high on depression scale, further evaluation warranted". That really made me angry and I changed hospitals. As a former CPS worker, I can see how this info could be misused by general health workers. I doubt psychiatrists and mental health workers would misuse it.

One thing to note is it is ONLY a SCREENING TOOL. It is not a diagnosis. However I can see general health workers using it as a diagnosis. I think it would be totally inappropriate for this information to be conveyed to CPS for example. It's simply not accurate enough. It's like trying to use that blood test, AFP? to diagnose Downs Syndrome.

[wombat]

eta - BTW my psychiatrist encouraged me to switch from meds to therapy during my pregnancy. She was very pro therapy and didn't like to prescribe meds for pregnant women unless it was serious enough to warrant it and therapy hadn't worked.

[Greaseball]

People are going to a lot of trouble to try and prevent PPD. But, according to the CDC, the leading cause of death for pregnant women is domestic violence. So how come there is no similar screening for expectant fathers?

[srain]

Is anyone else cracking up that a newspaper spelled "citing" wrong in the same sentence as academic success?
(Sorry, couldn't help myself)

[Lula's Mom]

Yeah, I have the proofreading curse too! :LOL

[Ceili]

Originally Posted by Greaseball

People are going to a lot of trouble to try and prevent PPD. But, according to the CDC, the leading cause of death for pregnant women is domestic violence. So how come there is no similar screening for expectant fathers?

I was having the same thought.

[gottaknit]

Originally Posted by Greaseball

People are going to a lot of trouble to try and prevent PPD. But, according to the CDC, the leading cause of death for pregnant women is domestic violence. So how come there is no similar screening for expectant fathers?

Amen.

[kimberlylibby]

Well, in my ob's practice, they ask you screening questions about abuse and/or violence in the home..... I think that should be mandatory as well. If your spouse or boyfriend is at the visit they have to leave during those questions and they ask things like "Are you or anyone in your home in physical danger? Do you ever fear anyone in your home may hurt you? etc.."

As for ppd, I think screening for it is wonderful.

[Greaseball]

I think they should screen the fathers directly. I mean, if you want to conduct a mental health evaluation of someone you need to talk directly with that person. If someone wanted to evaluate my mental state, I hope they would talk to me and not just ask my dh! :LOL Although I know that is how women are often evaluated...

[kimberlylibby]

So what are they going to ask the husband/boyfriend? "do you beat your wife?"

Or are there valid questions they could ask. Please know, I'm not trying to be a snark here.

[Greaseball]

I don't know, because I'm not aware of any screening directed toward men. I suppose it could ask "How do you deal with anger? How are marital conflicts resolved?" and the like.

Every depression screening I've seen has equally obvious and lame questions. No one is going to admit they have thoughts of harming themselves or the baby if they don't want to deal with the consequences.

[wombat]

Maybe because we're in the military health system, but my OB/GYN clinic screened the moms for domestic violence. Had to fill out a very detailed questionnaire.

I think the best way to screen for domestic violence is to talk to the mothers and for the mothers caregivers to be aware of and able to deal with signs of it, like unexplained injuries. I don't think many women are just gonna come out and disclose domestic violence on a screening form. But it puts the issue on the agenda and hopefully if they develop a trusting relationship with their caregiver, some good may come of it.

I think if a husband is bashing his wife, he's probably not the kinda person to attend OB appts. And if he did attend, I can't imagine him owning up to it.

In my experience, any intervention for domestic violence against a pregnant woman is bound to fail unless the woman agrees to and supports it. And any woman who already has children at home is going to be very wary of mentioning domestic violence to a Dr. in case of a CPS notification.

[Jennifer H]

I was pleased at the amount of educational material I received on "baby blues" and PPD. I got information at about 28 weeks and again at the hospital. This included a "self-screening tool" for mom to use at home to differentiate between the two. On discharge the nurse also talked to dh and I about it as well.

FTR - I was also asked about domestic violence at my first prenatal visit, again mid-pregnancy and again at the hospital (all times I was asked without dh or anyone else present).

However, I think a mandatory screening could be misused if it becomes part of the medical record! Mental health information in CA is protected differently than regular health records (for privacy) and a screening like that would end up in the regular medical file which could put mom at risk for misuse later.

[Greaseball]

I wonder if the screenings will be used to help mothers (beyond providing medications) or as justification for removing children from the home.

[alliwenk]

Not much to add that hasn't been said....BUT

GREASEBALL!!! God but you rock!

i-wanna-be-more-like-greaseball-ingly,
Allison

[gottaknit]

Originally Posted by Cyneburh

Does this bother anyone else?



Maybe I'm reading too much into this but it seems that this could be used to manufacture a reason to take kids away.

Or a reason to force parents to medicate their children. Hasn't this been an issue with ADHD/ADD and school counselors? I think I remember a lawsuit of parents vs. school when the parents didn't want to medicate their energetic/hyperactive child, and the school wanted to force them to or else face expulsion.

[Greaseball]

-wanna-be-more-like-greaseball-ingly

: : :

[Breathless Wonder]

For the record, I was told by a social worker that the school/ social workers can and DO speak to your children without prior parental notification. The worker said that when you enroll your child in public school, that right is in the paperwork you sign.

[StacyL]

This article is just another example of the police state that the US is descending into at the hands of both political parties who seek to integrate the US into the New World Order government, where you will have no liberties and the Constitution will become a thing of the past replaced by martial law.

Keep your kids out of the public school (indoctrination) system.

Don't vaccinate your kids, or yourself.

Give birth at home.

Exercise your Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

Don't buy into the coming cashless, RFID, microchip implanted society.