I thought I should pass this along.

NAMI E-News January 19, 2005
Vol. 5-1
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Mental Health Screening Will Save Lives

Our nation simply cannot afford to continue to fail our
youth with mental disorders who need treatment. The tragic
consequences of our failure to identify youth through early
assessment and to intervene with appropriate mental health
treatment and services are well documented. The facts
speak for themselves:

- About 3,000 youth die every year from suicide (CDC);
- Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for 15 to 24
year olds and the 4th leading cause of death in children as
young as 10 years old (CDC);
- 90% of those who commit suicide have a diagnosable and
treatable mental disorder (Surgeon General, 1999);
- Approximately 10% of children and adolescents live with a
mental illness and yet, only about 20% of them are
identified and in treatment (Surgeon General, 1999);
- Youth with mental illnesses have the highest school
dropout and failure rates of any disability group (U.S.
Dept. of Education);
- An alarming 65% of boys and 75% of girls locked in our
nation’s jails and detention centers have one or more
psychiatric disorders (Teplin, L. Archives of General
Psychiatry, 2002).

Screening for the health and well being of children is a
well-established practice in the United States. We screen
for vision, lead poisoning, hearing, scoliosis,
tuberculosis, appropriate developmental progress and more.
Mental health screening is essential to address the gross
under-identification of youth with mental illnesses and the
tragic consequences that often follow. Research shows that
early identification and intervention leads to improved
outcomes and may lessen long-term disability. Many NAMI
families also recount that it promises to avoid years of
unnecessary suffering and lost opportunities.

NAMI calls on federal, state and local leaders to
immediately take affirmative steps to implement mental
health screening for children and adolescents. This
position is consistent with the recommendations included in
President Bush's New Freedom Commission report on mental
health that calls for mental health screening in child-
serving settings.

Campaigns of misinformation, stigma and fear must not stand
in the way of progress on this vital public health issue.
Screening must be done with proper protections and
guidelines in place. The most important of which are that
screening is voluntary and only done with parental
consent. To learn more about our position on mental health
screening and the protection and guidelines that families
are calling for, please review our recently adopted
position statement on mental health screening:


Representative Ron Paul of Texas has introduced
legislation, the Parental Consent Act of 2005 (H.R. 181)
that would prohibit the use of federal funds for mental
health screening. NAMI strongly opposes this legislation
and urges Congressional members not to support the bill and
any similar measures. The bill would stifle efforts to
support state and local programs designed to identify youth
struggling with mental illnesses and initiatives designed
to help reduce the existing youth suicide crisis in this
country.

Screening cannot be viewed in isolation. NAMI calls on
national leaders to build a comprehensive mental health
system of care for the millions of children who require
mental health treatment and services. These children and
families deserve nothing less.

Action Required:

Advocates are strongly encouraged to contact their members
of Congress to oppose H.R. 181 and other anti-screening
legislation. Advocates are also encouraged to share their
personal family stories with Congressional members about
how early detection of a child's mental illness made a
dramatic difference in their child's life or how the
failure to identify a child's mental disorder early
resulted in unnecessary suffering.

Congressional members are being regularly contacted by anti-
psychiatry groups who make false claims and distortions
about screening, including the claim that the President's
New Freedom Commission calls for mandatory screening
without parental consent. It is time to set the record
straight and to report on the experiences of countless
families from across the country. You may also send a
letter to your federal and state legislators and leaders on
mental health screening:


All House and Senate offices can be reached through the
Capital switchboard at 202-224-3121 (please note that this
is not a toll-free call). Senators and House members can
also be reached at their local offices that are listed in
the Blue Pages of your local phone directory.