The Illinois House on Wednesday rejected an attempt to take a closer look at the field of psychiatry and its role in shaping Illinois law. The sticking point for some lawmakers was a group backing the proposal.
As the field of psychiatry publishes its first new diagnostic manual in more than a decade, it's been attracting a lot of discussion.
The House resolution would have created a task force to comb through thousands of pages of Illinois laws and regulations, looking for the influence of psychiatry that "may have been recently discredited."
Rep. Mary Flowers, D-Chicago, says she just wanted to start a conversation about psychiatry.
"We've seen the headlines in the newspaper about doctors over-medicating adults, as well as children, because there's money involved," Flowers says.
But Rep. Ed Sullivan, R-Mundelein, told fellow lawmakers one of the groups supporting the effort is backed by the Church of Scientology.
"I bring this up because my family has some issues — has had some exposure — with the church of Scientology," Sullivan says. "And without getting into details, it hasn't been very good."
The final vote was 22 yes — with the majority, 92, voting no.
Correction, May 23, 2013: An earlier version of this story mentioned psychology when it should have been referring to psychiatry. The text has been updated.
