This featured article on USA Today says that in wake of the Newtown school shootings, the idea of mental screening for kids that attend schools has become increasingly popular. The article informs the reader that students are required a verification of good health in order to attend schools, and that many schools require dentist and eye doctor check-ups. Many perpetrators involved in mass shooting have been able to be identified at a very early age. Using this information, what is holding us back as a society from making mental screenings necessary? Briggs, the author of the article, explains the issues and controversies that come with mental screening. These issues include the judgement of the diagnosed child by the other students, the interference in the families, and the fear of misdiagnosis and overmedication.
I believe that although this issue can be very controversial, the counselors and members of the health profession would work really hard in order to decrease the possibility of judgements to be put upon the student. This fact would seem to cancel out the issues of privacy and judgement for the student, but could still worry parents and guardians of misdiagnosis. The doctors and health care professionals are well trained and many are known to have a great deal of respect from all of their patients. I think that the mental screening of students would be smart, and could possibly save the lives of these children and the children around them
Robert Davis Edwards
2/1/13 12:36
No comments:
Post a Comment