From a reader:

Question: Hi, I was wondering, regarding international adoption - which countries allow one parent to have been (in the past) taking anti-depressant meds? I understand China does not allow this. Are all international options off limits to those that this applies?

The upcoming imposition of new adoption regulations in China, starting the first of May, that preclude anyone with a history of depression from adopting children from that country has people all over the adoption world up in arms, debating, discussing and generally going ballistic in ways triad members most certainly can. People are worried, upset, angry, indignant or righteously vindicated, depending on their POV, and there's no little fear that the ripples from this may muddy the waters in places far from China.

Potential international adoptive parents have been the first to react, as the change in regs hit many smack in the face like that sack full of nickels that gets to swinging around too often. At this point in time, aside from in the case of adopting from China, the situation is as it has been.

In response to a question much like the one above, the Adoption.com answer goes like this:

As long as the individual is currently in treatment with medication and/or therapy, is asymptomatic and has demonstrated the capacity to parent, this should not necessarily preclude you from adopting. A 'now-healthy' adult has a good chance to successfully adopt. Either way, you will need a favorable letter from your Doctor stating your present good health both physically and emotionally.

According to the US State Department, some countries stipulate prospective adoptive parents must be "of sound mind", but at this point China was still the only I could find that specifically listed depression as an unacceptable closet skeleton.

The professionals preparing homestudies are those best equipped to present all aspects of a hopeful adoptive family's past, present and future in terms of their suitability to parent, and the weight carried by the homestudy in the dossier cannot be underestimated. As with the rest of the information you provide, depression and its treatment is part of who you are, and full disclosure is what you sign up for when you begin the process.

Many international adoptions end up being thumbs-upped or -downed by one individual, be it judge, social worker, or even US agency personnel, so it may happen that depression will strike an unpleasant chord with someone along the way, especially now that China has decided to red flag it.

Web groups are buzzing with variations on the theme, and more than one person has suggested that China's view, being archaic and uniformed when it comes to treated depression, is unreasonable. A few people have even hinted that there may be cases when some information should be surpressed. Even over the www, you can hear the click, click that can only mean flamethrowers are locked and loaded.

Continued ...