Imagine my horror, outrage and disbelief yesterday upon discovering that a new law linking Centrelink payments (including family tax benefit payments) to mental health screening has been passed in the Lower House of parliament. When you consider that the Federal Mental Health Minister Mark Butler stated on ABC’s late-line recently that “mental health begins at the age of three” supported by headspace psychiatrist Patrick McGorry, this country is fast becoming what eminent author and psychiatrist, Prof.Thomas Szasz, calls “The Therapeutic State.”
As a loving and concerned mother of three children I have formed the group “Stop Drugging Our Children” (SDOC) to educate parents about the risks of psychiatric drug use in kids and the spread of closet-“mandated” mental health screening in the country that pre-empts the epidemic of child drugging we are currently experiencing. My mission is to harness the powerful force that is Motherhood and our maternal instincts to know what is right for our kids. It is a sad and chilling state when parents have to agitate for changes in law to protect their right to make healthcare choices for their children without state-psychiatric interference.
My primary school-aged children have been involved in “Circle Time” without my consent (children discuss their feelings in a circle and, in fact, my son was bullied as a result of sharing these “feelings”) and KidsMatter, a mental health screening and other programs being rolled out at my daughter’s community child care centre.
I am interested in hearing from mothers whose children have experienced psychotropic drug damage or where parental or children’s rights have been harmed by coercive insistence that the child be “screened,” psychologically or psychiatrically evaluated or pressured to administer the child antidepressants, antipsychotics, stimulants or other psychiatric medications, especially as a requisite for their attending or remaining in schooling .
What is happening in this country? The truth is, laws are being passed that prevent our basic instinctive rights as women and mothers. All information given to me will be treated with the utmost respect, sensitivity and confidentiality. None of your details will be passed on to anyone without your consent.
Andrea Drew, Founder – Stop Drugging Our Children
