New Study on Depression Screening Fuels Controversy Over Bill

A recent study by UK researchers found that depression screening is
both inaccurate and unhelpful, fueling controversy over a Senate bill
called the "Mothers Act." Critics say the bill, S.1375, is dangerous
to mothers and newborns and a violation of informed consent, despite
being promoted under the guise of ensuring that new mothers and their
families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for
symptoms, and provided with essential services.

Dr. Chris Manning, Chief Executive of Primary Care Mental Health
Education, stated that he was not surprised by the results of the new
depression screening study, published in the April issue of the
Canadian Association Medical Journal. He warned that population
screening was fraught with problems and would produce any number of
false positives, resulting in inappropriate treatment and
over-medicalization. Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Dr. Joseph
Glenmullen also warns about the problem with depression
questionnaires, stating that they “may look scientific,” but “when one
examines the questions asked and the scales used, they are utterly
subjective measures.”

According to the mental health watchdog Citizens Commission on Human
Rights (CCHR), if passed the Mothers Act will increase the number of
new mothers falsely diagnosed with postpartum depression and given
powerful psychotropic drugs like antidepressants—potentially lethal to
both the mother and child. There is no language in the bill
requiring full disclosure of the risks of these drugs and no language
requiring mothers be given other non-harmful treatments and medical
care besides drugs, violating their right to informed consent.

Antidepressants, the most common “treatment” for postpartum
depression, are documented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to
cause mania, psychosis, hallucinations, suicidal ideation and in some
cases, homicidal ideation. Additionally, regulators worldwide have
warned that antidepressants prescribed to pregnant women can cause
miscarriage, premature birth, and in babies born to pregnant women
taking these drugs, congenital heart defects, life-threatening lung
disease, neurological symptoms and withdrawal symptoms. Research also
shows such drugs could affect the developmental process of the embryo.

One mother, Amy Philo, posted a YouTube video telling the story of
what happened to her when she was prescribed psychiatric drugs after
the birth of her child: http://youtube.com/watch?v=LQW23XCmOCw

CCHR maintains that mothers have a fundamental right to be fully
informed that there are non-harmful, non-drug medical alternatives to
being diagnosed with a mental disorder and prescribed dangerous
psychiatric drugs, and that mental health “screening” is subjective
and could lead to improper diagnoses. The Mothers Act opens the door
to the violation of informed consent procedures, and should be
defeated.

CCHR is an international psychiatric watchdog group co-founded in 1969
by the Church of Scientology and Dr. Thomas Szasz, Professor of
Psychiatry Emeritus, to investigate and expose psychiatric violations
of human rights. For more information, visit www.cchr.org or write to
humanrights@cchr.org.