Criticism about mental health screening—from a very surprising source!!

On Medical News Today!!

This rocks. I would never expect such spot on critique from them!!

There is a frenzied push by mental health providers–almost all of whom have financial ties to psychotropic drug manufacturers–to persuade government to adopt a policy of screening teenagers and women for depression.

The women being targeted at this juncture are vulnerable: they are either pregnant or have just given birth to a child. In both cases, both mother and infant are at risk of being harmed by pharmacological interventions.

The problem with mental screening starts with the fact that the method for mental screening is an unreliable suggestive questionnaire which is noted for its high rate (84%) for misidentifying normal teens as having mental disorders.

The diagnostic tools used by psychiatrists remain subjective and unscientific. And, overwhelmingly, the “therapeutic” interventions prescribed are dangerous psychotropic drugs that have often aggravated an emotional problem. Indeed, antidepressants increase the risk of suicide–as these drugs’ warning labels indicate. (read the rest here)