Furious Seasons

March 06, 2007

A Bipolar Child Murdered: Did The Doctor Do It?

Defense attorneys for the parents of Rebecca Riley argued in court yesterday that there was no way the parents had enough medication on hand to have overdosed their daughter, aged 4, who died in December in Hull, Mass. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD at two and a half years old. Attorneys blame the girls' psychiatrist, who has since suspended her practice pending the outcome of this case.

On another front in the case:

"Bourbeau and John Darrell, an attorney for Michael Riley, also said the district attorney will argue the woman and her husband, also accused of murder, killed their daughter because they were unhappy with how much they were getting from the state to help care for the girl, who suffered from bipolar and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.
Bourbeau called that a ‘‘sick theory,’’ and said he would seek release of the mother during a court hearing today."

That prosecutorial scenario, if that's what they'll truly argue, is bizarre.

No matter what, the case of Rebecca Riley is one that Rep. Henry Waxman's committee should ask questions about. The girl was on 200 mgs. a day of Seroquel. The drug is not licensed for use in children and there is barely any research on its use in kids. The committee ought to ask how AstraZeneca, the drug's maker and now subject of a Congressional investigation, was marketing the drug in adult and pediatric settings. It'd be nice if they asked questions about clonodine as well, the ADHD drug the kid took, but that drug is not a subject of the committee's investigation. The committee should also ask questions about the bipolar child paradigm. There are a lot of Harvard Medical School profs who they ought to bring in to testify on this matter.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at March 6, 2007 11:35 AM

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Comments

Jesus...100 mg of Seroquel knocked me out for 20 hours. On my regular dose of 50 mg and then 25 mg I slept for 12-14 hours on a daily basis. That this child was given 200 mg is beyond disturbing and if this is what was prescribed by the psychiatrist, I don't think we have to wonder about who killed her.

Posted by: Gianna at March 6, 2007 12:15 PM

50mg. of Seroquel for "insomnia" knocks me out cold for 12 hours. If I do not get that many hours of sleep(and I don't), then I am hardly able to function, drive a car or think.

I am 47 years old. Not 4 years old.

I have NO idea why Rebecca's death has not been on the news. For the love of GOD!!

Posted by: Stephany at March 6, 2007 07:25 PM

..."That prosecutorial scenario, if that's what they'll truly argue, is bizarre."

That doesn't surprise me. After 7 months of seeking psychiatric care for my 18 yr.old psychotic daughter; a social worker accused me of being:
"A parent who stops treatment." Being that she has had treatment, care and medications since age 11; that made no sense to me.

In mental health court: 2 weeks later, when the Judge had to hear from a parent to stand as witness to Involuntarily commit her for care; the Prosecuting Attorney asked the Father to be appointed temporary Guardian ad Litem, "because you (me)have been the only vocal one all of these months; it's going to look like you ...well..just want her in... a hospital." I was only allowed into the courtroom; due to the Father 'gaining' that status; because the Prosecuting attorney asked the Judge's permission. (think I felt the arrow in the heart that day?)

Believe me, as a mother and advocate for my daughter and finding proper care for her; I was scrutinized. It was a strange twist that shocked me, and in my opinion, they were trying to find blame in a parent, for the inability to stabilize my daughter with psychiatric medications.

They were not about to blame psychiatry. They passed the buck onto a devoted Mother.

THIS is what they are doing to Rebecca's family. There is just no possible way, I feel that these parents drugged their child on purpose.

The entire situation is sad, all the way around.

Posted by: Stephany at March 7, 2007 07:43 AM

I am so glad the defense attorney's have done their research and are doing the right thing and going after the shrink. My bipolar illness mysteriously went into remission and I lost 70 pounds after refusing to take Seroquel.

200mg to a 4 year old? That makes me sick!!!

Posted by: Angie at March 7, 2007 07:50 AM

Sad, surreal.

The bigger question is, how have we as a society come to believe that the answer to most behavioral problems is taking a medication? Yes, in many cases drugs can be useful, mostly in masking/ mitigating symptoms, but few times we can consider them as "treatments" or "solutions".

Posted by: Alvaro at March 7, 2007 10:13 AM

One inpatient psych doc had my daughter (just turned 18)on 800mg. of Seroquel; she was awake for about 10 days/ locked down/ and shipped off to the State Hospital, "because she needs long term care." and "I don't know why she isn't stabilizing on the Seroquel."

I begged, pleaded, all of it, telling that doc to get her off the Seroquel. Nope.

Do ya think it could have been the Seroquel causing her to lose her mind?!

Posted by: Stephany at March 7, 2007 11:01 AM

"The girl was on 200 mgs. a day of Seroquel."

'Scuse the French.

Here's the problem: The psychiatrist should have known better than to put a toddler on TWO-HUNDRED FUCKING MILLIGRAMS of Seroquel. I don't care what whether AZ marketed it as safe for children or not. A psychiatrist who medicates a toddler THAT much has got to be out of her fuckin' mind. She deserves to lose her license and stop practicing.

Posted by: Marissa Miller at March 8, 2007 09:59 AM

As for the rest of the article..Lets get a few things straight..Depakote,Depakane,Valporic Acid was developed not for ADHD It is an anti-convulsant...EPILEPSY. it is off label prescribed because of the supposed sedating aspects...And is one of the drugs of choice when a child is taking Ritilan...To take the edge off the Meth..err I mean the Ritilan... That is contra productive pharmacology.....Both drugs simply contradict each other so why then any drugs to begin with..?
This nation has once again bought into a new religion one of drugs,cept this time it ain't no Homey raking in the cash it's those who can never get enough of it.... Go to ANY ad for these theory of chemical imbalance drugs and you will find the following words clearly spelled out in them;"We believe,Doctors feel,Scientists think".
Now has anyone found any thing there being indicative to having any actual proof of the theory...? I sure don't.

Posted by: David at March 23, 2007 08:01 PM

I'm not discounting the fact that a finger needs to be pointed at the psychiatrist, but come on... the parents should have done something, obviously she was not okay. In the article that I read, it sounded like everyone failed her. Attaching the link.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/23/health/main2603599.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_2603599

Posted by: Britt at March 23, 2007 09:10 PM