Mandatory Psychiatric Testing for All New Moms?!

[Pangloss]

Here's a search providing 233 links to the mainstream media's plethora of stories that came out yesterday about the new Danish study released yesterday indicating that the incidence of postpartum depression may be much higher than previously believed (13% in this study):

 

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&ncl=1111752875

 

Now. That's all very interesting, but what does it really say in the end? That new moms are short on sleep and under a lot of stress, right?

 

Um.... DUH!

 

Women, according to the study, are 7 times more likely to suffer psychiatric illness than other women, due to physiological changes and mental stress. Shocking, isn't it? Wow, who knew??!!

 

But what I thought was really interesting was Dr. Timothy Johnson, live on ABC News last night, wrapping up the story at the anchor desk by saying that "now may be the time to begin mandatory psychiatric testing for all new mothers". And here's the kicker: Positive results would be followed-up with mandatory drug use! No, really! Mandatory because these women have children under their care!

 

But who decides what constitutes PPD? Politicians and a medical community suffused with input from the pharmaceutical industry! So these women are going to be forced to take mind-altering drugs, against their will, just so they can raise their own children?!

 

That's just mind-blowing. I can't believe that flew right past Charles Gibson. It may be quite revealing that the quote doesn't show up in print form on their web site and I can't find it in any search result, nor is it available in their online video selection from last night's show. I had to actually go back to the Tivo and watch it again a couple of times just to be sure I actually heard the man right.

 

But apparently Dr. Johnson didn't just make it up out of the blue. I did some brief searches at Google and it seems as though this is apparently a major debate going on in the medical community, with many physicians, scientists and psychiatrists taking the side of mandatory testing and compulsory drug use! What the heck?!

 

What do you all think?

[Glider]

I think it shows the totalitarian streak is alive and well in Denmark. Bear in mind, they only stopped mandatory sterilisation of the mentally ill in 1974.

 

PS. This is not a pop at Denmark, it's a pop at totalitarianism. This exists everywhere, it just seems easier to spot in Denmark, due to articles such as the one posted.