I tell you I have a 4 & 7 year old , they fightall the time,  and run around, but with direction they learn to be have.  Medication is not met for a child of that age,,, that's up to me to control  their behavior. Not med's,, kids will be kids,,,,,, I think I will go home from work today and hugg my girls extra tight tonight

Sadly the untimely death of rebecca riley is a direct result of low life parents feeding off of medicaid system. On medicaid They had no worries about paying for doctors visits or expensive psychotropic medicine. It seems that the parents were chemically restraining this unfortunate child for their convenience. The department of family services...Who were already aware of this family failed rebecca riley. Too little done for too long...and not following up with this case.

I could write more. I just hope that the parents are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and that they lose their parental rights.

It is extremely questionable, not to say impossible, to diagnose a child with Bipolar D/O. This is a serious mental illness that is characterized for onset in early adulthood.

Hi Deborah,

your final analysis was pretty close to the mark when you mention neglectful parents. I have beeen following this story through another forum I am a member of, and when I read in further detail what occurred in Rebecca's final hours - it was downright abuse leading to manslaughter. Poor Rebecca tried to get her mothers attention and help, and was told to go back to bed. Her uncle found her gasing for breath, he wiped vomit from her face, and bashed on her parents bedroom door to get them to take her to emergency. Her mothers response - another pill.

I feel physically ill when I think of what she suffered, and am at a loss as to how do you educate people like that, to learn basic concepts such as caring for your child when they are sick.

God help us all....

Sonja

Certainly, I am not the only person nauseated by the death of a four-year-old <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Massachusetts girl due to drug overdose. The obvious question of course is why did parents allow their child to be treated with such drugs at the age of two? Because they believed she suffered from ADD- no surprise. It is only recently that Bi-polar disorders have been an accepted diagnosis in prepubescent children; but at age 2? Although I have been out of the clinical setting for many years, I very much doubt that an accurate diagnosis of this type can be made at such an early age. To give an antipsychotic, a heavy duty antihistamine, and a depressive to such a young child is almost unimaginable, especially since trials have shown marked liver damage from some of these drugs in children. In  my opinion, the diagnosis-obsessed culture we live in medicates every perceived flaw.  Are we so unable to cope with our children that now we have to drug them into complacency? The parents are being prosecuted. The doctor should have his license suspended. Our society is so medication crazy that excuses will be offered, doctors will come forward and offer their expert opinions. And another child is lost to the craziness of a drug happy society. And people ask me why I left clinical practice!

Dr. W. Sumner Davis

When I read this article I was in total shock.  Two weeks prior to this article I was in court fighting against the mother of my children and a doctors diagnosis of my son having ADHD, Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  The diagnosis was based on complaints by the mother of my children.  My greatest efforts to instruct the Doctor that my Son does not have the symptoms mom described in school or with me was ignored and I was put off as being aggressive and insensitive.  Mom then met with the Doctor again without my knowing and requested medications for my son.  He prescribed Strattera for ADHD and Abilify (Medication to treat schizophrenia).  Both medications were not tested for children.  Prior to mom attempting to have my son diagnosed she was giving him and my daughter sleeping medications to induce sleep and some un-named pill she crushed in their juice prior to going to school.  The children were in a daze while in school and my son was falling asleep in class. He was very irritable and would not focus and cooperate.  I complained to the Doctor who diagnosed the ADHD and other problems that his diagnosis ignored my assessment, and the schools opinion.  There was no Conners reports, BASC-2, counseling, evaluations.  I argued that he is not performing the process needed to diagnose such an illness. Yet I was ignored.  He took the story of mom only.  He simply told me that if you come to a doctor you should expect medication.  I nearly felt helpless because I knew from the sleeping pills and moms deepest desire to have mood and mental medication was her attempt to control my children.  Using medication to parent my children rather than using other methods to help them deal with the sadness she is responsible for bringing into their lives.  She gave Ryan the medication and began working very hard to have my daughter diagnosed with the same.  My son was slumped over and non-responsive as a result of taking this medication.  Not being able to take it anymore I hired an attorney and fought like crazy to stop this madness. My son was ordered off the medication immediately.  The court hearing is not complete.  There are areas of my complaint still pending.  These parents who chose to medicate when they can’t tolerate their children has to be brought down.  The Doctors who recklessly prescribe these medication to children without proper testing should lose their license and be fined.  Something has to be done to stop this.