Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

It's interesting that Mayor Shaver's psychiatric problems become news around the same time Pickerington's TeenScreen program also became news.

The postings on this website show the problem with psychiatric labels. Had the public not known that Mayor Shaver has a diagnosis, he would not be dragged through the mud right now. A politician with a temper is a no-brainer. But now people are looking at every aspect of his life, including owning a motorcycle, working out in a gym, working late into the evening and having outbursts as further ''proof'' of his illness, and therefore his inability to do his job.

It's not right. I don't know what's happening at city hall, but I am very concerned that it has now hit the news that the Mayor has allegedly considered suicide, yet there doesn't seem to be any concern for his well being. Did anybody contact him to see if he is OK?

Back to TeenScreen, though, I believe the same will happen to any teen who tests ''postive''. All his or her future behaviors will be viewed through the prism of the ''diagnosis''. If the actions of the adults who post on this website are any indication of how parents, teachers and peers will behave, any teen who tests ''postive'' has my sympathy.

Parents are advocates

I would not compare any parent of a troubled teen to the anonymous posters on this website.

Parents are their children's advocates. They want whats best for their children and may explore Teen Screen results with their doctor, as well as any other type of information they think may help their child. A parent can dismiss the recommendation just they way they dismiss other things offered to their child like PYAA sports, karate, church activities, school fundraisers. Their job is to determine what mix of education and activities is best for their child if intervention is needed that is their job as a parent to determine what it is & execute it.

I can't imagine any parent acting as immaturely as what I've seen posted on this site.

By Violet Mom

You're right

Yes, I'm afraid the stigma is bad either way...adult or teen. Where is our compassion?

Agreed

Katelynn, I've got to agree with you on this one.

No one chooses to be depressed. It is no reflection at all on a person's character or abilities that they are prone to depression. Depression is a surprisingly common malady. I suspect that there is hardly a family that has not been touched by it in some way or other. These days, thank goodness, it is also readily treatable with medication and counseling.

Yet there people right here in this community, neighbors or ours, who are willing to use this malady to ridicule and abuse people who suffer from it. This is not that different from making fun of paraplegics or terminal cancer patients. Though I suppose these people also would see nothing wrong with that.

I guess this is not the first time that people have used this website to ridicule someone for a medical condition, and it probably will not be the last. One can only hope that we are dealing here with only one or two people posting under different names. I would hate to think that this community harbors many people who are that insensitive.

But there are such people out there, and I would hate to think what they might do to our kids if they ever got hold of psychological profiles on them -- teenscreen and personality tests and the like. Some people just refuse to show compassion for the suffering of others. We need to be careful not to give them ammunition.

By Sympathetic Reader