Texas parents now need court order to commit their children.

The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation has issued new rules limiting the ability of parents in Texas to commit their children to a psychiatric institution. Starting Sept. 1, parents must approach a judge, who is the only one who can legally commit children under 18 to psychiatric hospitals. State mental health officials say it comes down to money.

Parents had often used psychiatric services instead of calling the police so that their children would not have a criminal record. Previously, there was a "quick and easy" method of commitment, with little apparent cost to the parents. Now the commitment process will include about $450 in court costs.

Texas psychiatrists are outraged. I can imagine what this does to their profit margin.

People may want to read the book Cruel Compassion: Psychiatric Control of Society's Unwanted by Dr. Thomas Szasz, as well as his book Liberation by Oppression - A Comparative Study of Slavery and Psychiatry, to get a better view on the issues.