Woodcock1

JonathanWoodcock
Ms.Cresham
English11
21March2014
MentalScreenings:FriendorFoe?
Imagineaworldwhereinaclassofonehundred,oneofthosestudentswillmakea
suicideplan(Percentage).Weliveinaworldwhereclosetohalfofthepopulationwillfacea
mentalillnessintheirlife.Whatcanbedoneforthesepeople,namelyouryouth?Mentalillness
isanundeniableproblemwithadifficultsolution.Therearesomewhobelievetheanswerliesin
mentalhealthscreeningswhileothersbelievetheywoulddomoreharmthangood.Inthe
argumentformentalscreening,peoplesaythatitcanpreventteensuicide,helpparents
understandtheirstudents,andgiveteensawaytoopenupabouttheirproblems.Conversely,
thosewhosupporttheargumentagainstscreeningstatethatscreeningisuselessduetothe
inefficiencyofmedications,misdiagnosis,andstigmatization.
Theimplementationofmentalscreeningsinhighschoolswouldallowmentalillnessesin
studentstobecaughtbeforemoreharmcanbedone.Anationalsurveyfoundthatamonghigh
schoolstudents,28.5%havefelthopeless,14.5%haveseriouslyconsideredsuicide,and1.3%
havemadeasuicideplan(Percentage).Withpercentagesthishigh,screeningscouldbea
practicalsolutiontopreventingsuchtragedies.Thisisntaproblemthatcanbeconsideredrare
orinsignificant.Mentalscreeningswouldbeabletohelpthesestudentsbeforetheygettothe
pointofconsideringorattemptingsuicide.AccordingtoEllieAshfordsarticleScreeningHelps
PreventTeenSuicide,morethan46%ofallAmericanswillhaveatleastonementaldisorder,

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halfofwhichwillbeginbytheageoffourteen.Seeingasagefourteenisaroundthetimewhere
studentsbeginhighschool,settingupmentalscreeningsherewouldbethemostbeneficialto
students.Fromthere,studentswillhaveatleastoneopportunityeveryyeartoparticipateinthe
mentalscreeningprogram.Withthismethodinplace,teenscantestregularlysoanysignsof
mentalillnesswouldbecaughtandtreatedearlytominimizepotentialdamagetoonesselfor
eventhosearoundthem.Duetothefactthatmanyteenssufferfrommentalillnesses,settingup
mentalhealthscreeningsattheseschools,mainlyhighschools,willassistincatchingthese
illnessesearlyandthusdecreasingtheoverallriskandrateofteenagesuicides.
Teenbehaviorishardtoexplain,especiallywhiletheirmentalstateisundertheintense
pressuresofhighschool.InthearticleTeenDepression:OverlookedandUndertreated,the
authorsquote
TheFourthEditionofDiagnosticandStatisticalManualofMentalDisorders
statestobediagnosedwithdepressionAteenmusthaveatleasttwoweeksofpervasivechange
inmoodmanifestedbyeitherdepressedorirritablemoodandor
lossofinterestand
pleasure...symptomsmustrepresentachangefrompreviousfunctioningandproduceimpairment
inrelationshipsorinperformanceofactivities(Harper,Marks,andNelson).Whenan
adolescentbehavesstrangely,realizingthesesymptomsmaybemorethantheaveragemood
swingcanhelpparentsbetterunderstandtheirchild.Thesescreeningswillprovidethenecessary
informationtoanadolescentsparentswhendiagnosed.Notonlythis,buttheseschoolsponsored
screeningswouldlikelyresorttopsychotherapyasaninitialresponse.
Thisprocessismade
easierwiththehelpoffamilyaspsychotherapyworksbestwhenitinvolvesthepatientsspouse
andfamily,(Myslinsky).Includingonesparentsthroughoutthisprocesswouldoptimize
efficiencyandmaximizetheeffectsinordertohelpthestudentasmuchaspossible.

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Encouragingparentstobepartoftherecoveryprocesswillallowthemtheopportunitytolearn
howtohelptheirchildwhilesimultaneouslydoingso.
Beforeateencangethelp,theyhavetoopenuptosomebodywhichisexactlywhat
mentalscreeningprogramsatschoolsencourage.Seeingasmostscreeningprogramsrequire
parentalconsent,teenswillneedtoatleastsomewhatconfideintheirparentsfirst.This
requirementisagreaticebreakerforteenstotalktotheirparentsinamorecomfortableway.
RobertCaruano,thecodirectorofTeenScreen,saysthatalotofkidsarelookingforawayto
openthedoortotheirparents.Theydontknowhowtobringitup,(Ashford).Thesescreening
programsincludetheparentsintheprocess,thereforemakingiteasierfortheteenagertobringit
upandgainsupport.Notonlythisbutbecausetheyrefreeandlocatedatschools,these
screeningsarelessintimidatingduetothefamiliarenvironmentandschoolcounselors.Thiseasy
pathtocommunicationcouldbethedifferencebetweenlifeanddeath.InJaniceArenofsys
articleTeenSuicideWhentheBluegetOutofControl,shequotesanamelessfatherofa
17yearoldsuicidevictimwhosaidmoreopencommunicationcouldsavemoreteenagelives.
Theultimategoalofthesescreeningswouldbetotreatthesestudents,andthefirststepis
communication.Thesefreescreeningsatschoolswouldalleviatesomeofthestressofaskingfor
helpandthereforeincreasingthenumberofteenswhogettestedandcouldpotentiallybesaved
fromthesufferingandthreatofsuicideshouldtheyhavegoneuntreated.Thesescreeningswould
maketreatmentmoreaccessibleaswellasmakingcommunicationbetweenteenagestudentsand
parentseasier,ultimatelysavinglives.

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Mentalhealthscreeningmayfindmentalillnessesinteensandchildren,butwhatisthe
pointinscreeningwhenwecurrentlydonothaveareliablecure?IrvingKirsch,apsychology
researcherattheUniversityofConnecticut,reviewedpublishedandunpublishedtestson47
differenttypesofantidepressants.SharonBegleyquotesKirschinherarticleTheDepressing
NewsAboutAntidepressantssayingabout40percentoftheclinicaltrialshadneverbeen
published...theunpublishedstudieswerethosethatfailedtoshowasignificantbenefitfrom
takingtheactualdrugandtheextrabenefitofantidepressantswasevenlessthanwesawwhen
weanalyzedonlypublishedstudies,(Begley).Thesefindingsshowthatthecurrent
antidepressantsonthemarket,thataregiventochildrenandteens,arenotreliableintheir
intendedeffectandmayevencomealongwithharmfulsideeffects.Anexampleofthisis
Prozac,oneoftheleadingantidepressantsonthemarket,hascommonandothersideeffects
includingtremors,diarrhea,anorexia,bulimiaandmanyothers.EricaGoodeandHeather
Timmons,intheirarticleBritishWarningOnAntidepressants,

saythatTheir
effectiveness(S.S.R.Is)hasnotbeensufficientlydemonstrated,andsomedrugshavebeenlinked
withsuicidalthoughtsandselfharm(GoodeandTimmons).ResearchonS.S.R.IsSelective
SerotoninReuptakeInhibitorshaveshowndirectcorrelativedatathatlinksantidepressantuse
withsuicideandselfharminyoungchildrenandadolescents.Mentalhealthscreeninginschools
couldbebeneficialiftheprescribedmedicationactuallyworkedtolessenoreradicatetheillness,
however,thisisnotsoleavingmentalhealthscreeningsawasteoftimeandfunds.
Inconjunctionwithineffectualmedications,tellingachildthattheyhaveamentalillness
canhavedetrimentaldevelopmentaleffectsteenagers,especiallythoseinhighschool,have
manyproblemstofacewithoutbeingtoldthattheirbraindoesnotfunctionproperly.In

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NathanielLehrmansarticle,MentalHealthScreeninginSchoolsCanHarmChildren,he
describessituationsinwhichscreeningsledtoproblemsfortheadolescentsthatweresubjected
tothem.AgirlfromIndiana,namedChelsea,andherclassmatesweregivenatenminute,yesor
nocomputertestChelseasfamilywasnotinformedthatChelseahadtheoptiontorefusethis
testshortlyafterChelseatookthetest,alocalmentalhealthcenteremployeetoldherthatshe
wassufferingfromobsessivecompulsivedisorderbecauseshelikedtohelpcleanthehouse,and
fromsocialanxietydisorderbecauseshedidntpartymuch,(Lehrman).Yesornotestsarenot
goingtorevealmentaldisordersduetothefactthatthehumanbrainismuchmorecomplexthan
ayesornoquestionnairecandetermine.Eachpersonisdifferentinmanywaysandatestisnot
thewaytojudgesomeonespersonalityespeciallyteenswhocanbeinfluencedandaffectedby
differentevents.Aliah,athirteenyearoldgirl,hadamuchworseexperiencethanChelsea:after
herclasswasscreenedformentalillnesses,herparentsweretoldthatsheneededfurther
evaluationbecauseshescoredhighonasuiciderating,shewasthenforcedtobeadmitted
psychiatrichospitalbythepoliceandachildprotectionworkerbecauseherparentsrefusedto
sendhertothehospital.Shespentfiveterriblemonthsinhospital,herparentswereforbiddento
seeorspeakwithher.Whilethere,shewasplacedinrestraintsmorethan26timesandgivenat
least12differentpsychiatricmedications,manyofthemsimultaneously(Lehrman).Itis
absolutelyastoundingthatathirteenyearoldcouldbetreatedthishorrificallyjustbecauseshe
scoredhighforasuicideratingonatest.Thesechildrenwillcarrythosedisturbingexperiences
fortherestoftheirlives,simplybecauseofthefailureofmentalhealthscreeningsinschools.
Finally,intheargumentagainstmentalhealthscreeningstakingplaceinschools,thereis
theissueofmisdiagnosis.BarbaraWexlerinheressayMentalHealthandIllnessdescribesthe

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misdiagnosisofdepressioninteens,statingthatReactiveDepressionisthemostcommon
mentalhealthprobleminchildrenandadolescents.Itisnotevenconsideredamentalhealth
disorder,itisseenasnormal(Wexler).ReactiveDepression,asopposedtoClinicalDepression,
isbroughtonbyatriggereventsuchasthelossofaboyfriend/girlfriend,anargumentwitha
friendorparent,orreceivingbadnewsReactiveDepressionadherestothesamesymptomsas
MedicalorClinicaldepression(ie.Persistentsadness,lossofinterest,inabilitytosleepor
concentrate,changesinappetite,decreasedenergylevels,aswellasthoughtsofsuicideorself
harm).Whyisitthatateenagerwhoisexperiencingsomethingthatisnormalandcommon
isthrustintoamentalinstitutiontotreatsaidteensdepression?Misdiagnosesareverycommon
inchildpsychology,yetifitisharmfultothechild,whywouldwewanttoscreenthem?
Parents/guardiansdon'tgenerallywanttheirchildrentosuffer,butmakingmentalhealth
screeningsinschoolsmandatorywillsimplybejustifiedmiseryAliahandChelseahadno
seriousmentalillnesses,however,theirdiagnosesweremisguided,thussubjectingthemtothe
nightmaresofinstitutionalizedpsychiatriccareasteenagers.Thebottomlineis:mentalhealth
screeningscausemuchmoreharmthangood,especiallyifthediagnosisisincorrect.
Withsomanypossibilitiesforgoodandsomanyrisksofharm,itisdifficulttodetermine
whetherornotmentalhealthscreeningsinhighschoolswouldbenefitstudentsornot.Mental
screeningscouldpreventsuicideandselfharm,yettheycouldalsoincreasetherisksofthese
problemsscreeningsalsohavethepotentialtocatchdebilitatingandharshmentalillnesses
beforetheycauseirreparableharm,however,misdiagnosisandimpropercarearecommonplace.
Unfortunately,thisproblemhasnosimplesolutionthusleavingthemultitudeofyoungpeople
sufferingfrommentalillnessdisregardedanddisparaged.

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