The Tragic Death of Rebecca Riley

So many people let this girl down. How sad that this can happen in todays age.

Unfortunately, I know first hand how neglect can harm a child/person.  It sounds like in this case, the parents were too trusting (also not responsible) of doctors and found a bad one.  In my case, doctor's were evil, so we never went.  There's a middle ground of just enough trust and responsibility to get necessary care by a recommended physician.  Of course, this starts with good parenting.

And the idea that a two-year-old has ADD...  *shakes head*

I have a daughter that was finally diagnosed with bipolar at 9 years old and medicated. Before we gave in to psychiatric drugs we spent years in counseling with her, monitored her food since she was 2, noticing which foods caused aggression and eliminating them. When the terrorists attack of 9-11 happened she became so upset. We could not comfort her. Within a month she described climbing up our tree and jumping out headfirst. I could keep her from climbing trees, but how could I keep her from putting a needle in her eye or trying to electrocute herself by sticking her finger in the outlet, or stabbing her 4 year old sister, all of which she also described while in tears saying she hated herself. Putting her on mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics was the hardest decision we ever had to make. The most important thing was keeping her alive at that time. Not all parents that resort to medication for their children are to lazy to try anything else. Check out http://www.bpkids.org before you pass judgement on the parents of kids with bipolar disorder.

Kids are related and can have similar special needs. As a professional working with special needs kids in a school I see it all the time. As each sibling arrives at school similar problems can be observed. My own kids were born prematurely. We lived a lifetime without knowing why E. attacked S. Why E. raged at any and every thing. Why E. destroyed things. I was pulled apart, falling apart, trying to stabilize our home. Now a year after a tentative diagnosis of bipolar disorder and following trials on several medications, 15 year old E. is calmer, less reactive, no longer violent, on Abilify. All those exhausting years. All those doctors and psychiatrists who did not see it. Yes, I agree that a normal two year old is very active, but the professionals should at least in theory know what level of active is normal. If there are continued episodes of abnormal or atypical activity levels at any age, the need for medical intervention should at least be considered. This tragedy, for it surely is one, seems to me to be the fault of a system that left the child in an unsafe home.

I went to http://www.bpkids.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Rebecca_Riley, there's nothing there to calm my rage. If you read this story at http://www.southofboston.net/specialreports/rebecca/pages/021007-agony.asp it is CLEAR that Rebecca's parents where abusive bastards and that this was not about how difficult it is to parent a challenging kid, the father had been charged with sexual assault on a previous daughter years before, he had a history of violence against his children, and her mother was another useless twit who stood by a man who abused her kids instead of putting her kids first and leaving. This story has me so upset I have chest pains at night. I definitely DO judge this family, and my heart just breaks for this little girl who kept trying to seek comfort from her cruel parents as they where poisoning her to death.

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

And I am having trouble getting past the mental image of a half-naked 4 year old girl in a pink pullup and gold earrings laying motionless on a pile of clothes and a stuffed animal....how long did she lay there before being found? Did her parents have ANY concern for her when her mother's uncle kicked in their door and demanded they take her to the hospital? It doesn't sound like it, instead mommy pushed another pill into her, and went back to sleep......so much for the mothering instinct. I want to think that people can't be like this, that they simply cannot be so indifferent to the suffering of their own flesh and blood, but then things like this happen, and I spend the rest of the day determined to hug my daughter until she pops. To listen to her every word with breathless anticipation, hearing a beautiful little girl enjoying her life to the fullest. Knowing that somewhere out there, there are other little girls who aren't treated the way they should be, just makes me furious. These parents are oblivious to how lucky they were, and worse yet, threw away their opportunity to be the most important thing on Earth, a loving parent.

 

Powerful drugs have their place, and I am not wont to question people who've spent significant portions of their lives in school, but I have REAL issues with drugging kids under 10 with powerful narcotics. What's worse, the mother was adjusting dosages to suit herself and her conveniences from all accounts I've heard. The father would determine the kids were 'acting up' and it would be time to drug the children. I just don't know how to respond to this. I want to scream, I want to cry, I want to help, I want to smack fools around for not realizing what lucky SOBs they are, and throwing it away. I don't know how to react first....or which is appropriate....so sad..

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.

As a mother and a grandmother, I find this absolutely shocking.  It sounds to me like those parents just didn't want to deal with the so-called "terrible two's"...how in the h-e double hockey sticks does a toddler become bi-polar? Why in the world does it seem like there are more kids with mental health issues than when I was a child or say when my mother (raised in the 30s and 40s) was a child?  I'll tell you why...THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY...and their greed. They want to get as rich as possible selling meds that may or may not be needed...no true diagnosis necessary!  I read in the paper the Riley parents referred to one of the drugs as the "happy drug" and the "sleep drug"... so they knew EXACTLY what they were doing.  Yeah, they ought to get charged with murder of that poor little girl...and have ALL of their kids taken from them! It's an absolute shame, that's what it is

There was only one person in that family that should've been on meds....the mother... she should've gotten on THE PILL or some other contraceptive and stayed on it instead of having kids that she obviously wasn't fit to parent...or the dad should've been fixed or something!

This was one of the saddest news stories i had ever read. To get to the point, as far as the doctors are concerned, their whole function in life is to prescribe meds. The problem in this picture are the parents. They obviously just wanted to have the children around to draw a welfare check- but actually do any parenting? No. They had drugs to shut their kids up and they did it, didn't they... Hopefully they'll both be sent to jail long enough that neither of them will be allowed to breed- As for their surviving children, i pray that someone with a heart takes those children in and lets them laugh and play and be loud like children should be.

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.

I have read further news stories on Rebecca Riley, which unfortunately don't make the picture any less bleak. Apparently the Rileys came up with excuses to convince the pharmacist to refill many prescriptions before it was due. Prosecutors say that Carolyn Riley (the mother) was dispensed 200 more pills in one year than she should have been.

Additionally, Rebecca's two older siblings were given the exact same diagnosis as her several years earlier. That really strains the bounds of credulity for me. Three siblings with the exact same disorders? Seems unlikely to me.

As the mother of a four year old son, I have enormous respect for what the parents of children who are bipolar deal with every day. But I really don't think that was the situation here. The Rileys were the only people who ever saw the aggression, hyperactivity and mood swings they claimed that Rebecca exhibited.The month before Rebecca died, Carolyn "resisted and evaded" a home visit from social workers. Dang, if I had three kids with such severe mental health disorders, I'd be dying to get some extra advice from a professional.

As I said, nothing that I've read throws a different light on the situation. Hopefully, though it will open a dialog about diagnosing and treating young children.

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

This doctor is certainly liable, but tried to prevent the overdose (shouldn't have prescribed in the first place, IMO.) If you want to see this case developing into a monster of parental neglect, deliberate drugging, and use of a child to gain SSI benefits, watch the papers...

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=191159

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

i think that kids should not be givven anything enless they are sick (colds, and stuff like that.) i think a kid should be at least ten to even think about precribing drugs. i am on antidepressants, and when i last talked to my psyc she told me she prescribed drugs for many 2-year olds. that just makes me sick!

My dad grew up with a cousin who was as close to him as a brother. When they were teens, my great-aunt had him declared mentally retarded so she could collect benefits from the government. My dad has always said there was nothing wrong with his cousin, who grew up with absolutely no life while my dad went on and joined the military and raised a family.

Rebecca's parents remind me of my great-aunt. They destroyed their children's lives because of their laziness and greed.

To the women who recommended the website for bipolar kids:

The website in this case doesn't apply. Rebecca showed no signs of any symptoms associated with bipolar disorder or ADHD. To my knowledge from the articles, she had never tried to kill herself.

The teachers in her school said she was lethargic until the medication wore off and then began to act like a normal girl. When a child is lethargic that really makes me wonder whether a child should really be on the prescribed medication. If a child is diagnosed with a specific problem and given medication to help with said problem, then that medication should help without altering the other aspects of a child's personality or physical traits. If a child was in a zombie-like state for any other reason we would think there was a problem with them and would find them help. I see no difference in this case either. A child who is misdiagnosed and becomes lethargic while on the medication should be taken off the drug immediately.
Cognitive therapy or some behavioral approach should be used first in any case before using medication.


However this was not the case for Rebecca and I blame every adult involved especially the father figure. The doctor used the family's mental health history to diagnose Rebecca without even observing the girl for a prolonged period of time. The drugs prescribed for the child were drugs that I wouldn't prescribed for a child as a doctor. Depakote is an anti-seizure medication and even though it is used as a mood stabilizer, if Rebecca showed no signs of having a seizure then it shouldn't of been prescribed. Why choose Depakote over any other mood stabilizer? Clodinine is a blood pressure medication. Children generally don't have high blood pressure. Seroquel is the only medication I have no problem using if the child experience manic episodes. The doctor however told the parents how many pills to give her and warned them about overmedicating. They would be reported to Social Services. Understandable.

Most of the blame lies with the parents. The father wasen't medicated for his disorders. Instead he thought is best to yell at the kids for making even the slightest amount of sound. Any amount of sound was a reason for Rebecca to be medicated. Therefore she was never allowed to act as a normal child. The father also had a number of other problems. He had restraining order placed on him. He molested a stepdaughter and supposedly raped either the mother or the stepdaugther. A child shouldn't have even been in that environment. Rather then leave, the mother went along with what her husband wanted. She lied about losing pills so she could get more and when her daughter became sick she failed to take her to the hospital. Social services made an attempt to visit but never got through the door because of the mother.

I don't feel there's any excuse for these actions. The parents should be ashamed of themselves.

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.

    There is a lot of blame being directed at the parents and understandably so, as they have been proven to be less than safe for her. I want to also add that "the system" failed this little girl- not the child protective services system- although that too- but the MEDICAL SYSTEM. Drugs are on TV. Drugs are on the internet. Drugs drugs drugs. EVERYWHERE. I could get a prescription for whatever I want if I act a certain way or complain enough. Every time I go to my MD for a complaint of some sort, it's drugs I get! But it's life sytle change that actually helps. This girl was seen by her doctor 6 days before she died. HOW IS THAT???? Why was she on 3 different drugs.... one that could kill her easily with a warning to parents who were mostly likely known to be dangerous; don't overdose your daughter on this. That seems ridiculous to me! Abilify alone can cause massive side effects that are UGLY and on top of that one- which is not to be used yet in children- she was on two others. I just DON'T get it and I never will!

The parents failed her
the CPS system failed her
the medical system failed her
and the society that is addicted to the quick fix, failed her!

    Oh my god! My heart goes out to you and your chidren.  Your point about parents parenting with medications is well taken. I am a therapist working mainly with teenagers. The drive to medicate by parents is one that I personally and professionally like to add brakes and common sense to every day. The quick and easy fix is so seductive. Good for you! Stand up and fight. The description of your little ones spaced out on drugs rips my heart out!