BILL TO SCREEN CHILDREN FOR MENTAL ILLNESS CALLED INVASIVE

San Jose Mercury News, Saturday, June 3, 2000

SACRAMENTO (AP) -- A state lawmaker wants to include mental health screening in a child's pre-first-grade physical examination to help prevent school violence by offering early treatment for mental illness. Opponents call Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg's bill a ``frightening invasion of family privacy.'' Despite that criticism and a Republican attempt to defeat the bill, the Assembly sent it to the Senate this week.

Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said he's tired of hearing about violent crimes committed by children. Having pediatricians ask some basic questions could identify those children who need treatment for mental health or behavioral problems, he said.

"We're living in a time and an era where we witness these horrible incidents around the country and people ask what could have been done earlier to prevent this,'' Steinberg said. ``If there are early signs that a child needs help, let's get them help before the child has lost years of their education."

Currently, each child entering first grade must have a physical examination. Steinberg's bill would augment that to include questions compiled by an American Academy of Pediatrics task force on preventing violence.

The bill recommends that doctors pay attention to poor self-esteem, depression, abuse, exposure to violence in the media and at home and whether the child has access to guns.

It's that last part that worries Assemblyman Tom McClintock, R-Granada Hills. "It's the most frightening intrusion by the state into the family that I can remember," he said. "It's the use of children to inform on their neighbors and their family." He made similar comments during the Assembly floor debate last week, but the measure was approved 41-32. McClintock failed to win the votes needed to force the Assembly to reconsider the bill this week.

Dr. Howard Spivak of Boston, chairman of the pediatricians' task force, said it's not uncommon for doctors to ask about activities or behaviors that are potentially harmful. "It's a reasonable thing. There are certainly certain behaviors that are red flags," Spivak said.

He and Steinberg stressed that information gathered by doctors is still protected by confidentiality laws and wouldn't be turned over to school or state officials.

Steinberg said he will work with his critics to narrow the list of questions so they don't offend anyone.