Comments: A Bipolar Child Murdered: Prosecutors Allege Parents Made Up Symptoms
A friend told me that when he was in a treatment facility for drug abuse there were a handful of women there who had had their children diagnosed with ADHD so they could snag the Ritalin for themselves. Some people don't deserve to be parents.
Posted by Lisa at March 28, 2007 02:52 AM
Good questions and good analysis.
Posted by Marissa Miller at March 28, 2007 07:50 AM
Reading this entry and the articles leads my thought back to the prescribing psychiatrist.
[Leaving out speculation regarding missing pills, etc for a bit]--I still question why any doctor would place a 2-4 year old on such medications.
I have to say, that if medicating the 'terrible 2's is going to become in vogue; then the children in America are going to suffer greatly as a result of this medication and diagnosis paradigm.
This is such a large issue to contemplate, I am having a difficult time expressing a view right now. There is much to think about regarding the death of Rebecca. It is tragic for everyone involved, though the medical doctor's are highly suspect in my opinion, if they can be so easily influenced by non-professionals[parents].
Once again, I come back to who writes the prescriptions, and if abuse of the medication was suspected, the doctor has authority to report to Child Protective Services.
Rebecca has fallen through a crack that was preventable, and she should be alive today.
Posted by Stephany at March 28, 2007 11:29 AM
That is truly frightening. It does suggest that the subjectivity of assessing and diagnosing mental illness is problematic. Dr Lawless maintains you can not diagnose ADD or ADHD without a brain test - at least that's an objective measure.
Posted by Talia Mana, Centre for Emotional Well-Being at March 28, 2007 07:23 PM