Furious Seasons

February 12, 2007

A Bipolar Child Murdered: Media Mostly Asks The Right Questions

The Boston-area media continues to pound on the murder of Rebecca Riley, a four-year-old who'd been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD and was overdosed on an ADHD drug. Her parents stand accused of murder, her psychiatrist has temporarily stopped practicing medicine and the state's social services department is under fire. Area editorialists are starting to write things like:

"The death of 4-year-old Rebecca Riley of Boston from an overdose of a drug used for hyperactivity raises all manner of difficult questions about the drugs used for children diagnosed with mental disorders."

And:

"The public is left to wonder, for starters, how a psychiatric doctor could have diagnosed a 28-month-old with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder."

More here. I wonder how psychiatrists who've pushed the ADHD in toddlers paradigm and bipolar disorder in children as young as two-years-old paradigm feel about all of this right now. I think the use of psych meds in children this young needs to be dramatically curtailed, reevaluated and, yes, stopped altogether. Is this the endgame of kids watching tons of TV and playing video games endlessly? Is this what happens when kids don't play sports or run in the woods?

This whole diagnose-medicate-blame-the-"illness"-for-bad-outcomes nonsense has got to stop. It's bad enough in adults and teens, but in kids it is a complete outrage. It is interesting to me, though, that when a child dies, the skeptical questions are asked. When an adult has awful results from taking Zyprexa, say, or Paxil, the media is largely silent.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at February 12, 2007 11:35 AM

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Comments

.."Is this the endgame of kids watching tons of TV and playing video games endlessly? Is this what happens when kids don't play sports or run in the woods?"

I hope not. This story is so alarming and hopefully IS causing public outrage, and doctors and parents alike to question (especially this young of children!)children being placed on medications not approved for under age 18.

I have also been disgusted over the years with the prescribing information fine print on some of these medications, listing "death" as a possible "side effect".

The coverage of the story due to a death is what is wrong with this picture. This was PREVENTABLE.

Posted by: Stephany at February 12, 2007 05:01 PM

I'm on an email list of so-called advocates for the mentally ill. Most of these people are parents who have young children and teens on drugs. I have repeatedly posted information that is critical of drugs ss well as information that questions diagnosis in young children. I have received nothing but silence and the occasional accusation that I'm anti-psychiatry. I am now sickened and don't even feel like posting about this tragedy. Am I a wimp...or should I just give up? It sickens me that "advocates" don't care about risks posed by drugs. They only advocate to drug, drug, drug and support forced medication. Forget informed consent. A mentally ill person can't possibly make the right decision. They, the "normies" know much better. The hubris in this is infuriating to me.

Posted by: Gianna at February 13, 2007 03:41 AM