Bush's plan to screen for mental health meets opposition in Illinois

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7474.1065-a

From trainee to consultant, BMJ Group offers doctors around the world tailored information, special events, learning resources and recruitment services at every step along their career path.

... by doctors, for doctors, for patients
We are open for entries!

Online learning

BMJ Learning

High-quality CME / CPD for doctors and other healthcare professionals. BMJ Learning features hundreds of accredited, peer-reviewed learning modules in text, video, and audio formats. Find out more

Courses and Qualifications

BMJ Masterclasses

BMJ Masterclasses, led by experts, help clinicians to use the latest evidence and recent guidelines in practice and meet their CPD/CME requirements. Find out more

Exam Preparation

The leading provider of online exam preparation, helping over 167,000 healthcare professionals to pass their exams. Find out more

onExamination

Search all BMJ research articles:

From

Limit by

Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment. Please log in or subscribe below.

Jeanne Lenzer

New York

A comprehensive mental health screening plan developed in concert with President Bush's New Freedom Commission (BMJ 2004;328:1458, 19 June) has met with fierce resistance in Illinois, the first state to develop a draft plan to coordinate services for children's mental health care.

In April 2003, a report by the Illinois Children's Mental Health Task Force, which recommended screening for all pregnant women and all children, triggered fierce controversy. Opponents charged that mandatory screening could subject children to unwanted psychiatric interventions and drugs—drugs that are under increased scrutiny because of unproven efficacy and high rates of adverse side effects.

Barbara Shaw, …