Bipolar Disorder at 2 years old?!

[tammyd2]

You can diagnose a TWO YEAR OLD with bipolar disorder?

Am I missing something or is this the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard?

WHY would that child be on SO MANY prescription drugs at 4 years old?



(copy and paste link due to commas)

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250482,00.html

[starry]

are you refering to this article....

BROCKTON, Mass. — A Weymouth couple were arrested Monday and charged in the drug overdose death of their 4-year-old daughter, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced.

Michael Riley, 34, and his wife, Carolyn Riley, 32, will be arraigned Tuesday in Hingham District Court. They face first degree murder charges for what prosecutors call an "intentional overdose" of their 4-year-old daughter, Rebecca Riley.

In December, police officers responded to the couple's former home in Hull where they found Rebecca Riley dead on the floor in the master bedroom.

An autopsy found the cause of death as a lethal combination of several prescription drugs, including a fatal dose of Clonidine, which Rebecca Riley had been taking for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the district attorney's office said.

The coroner's report also found Valproic Acid, also known as Depakote, Dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant in over-the-counter medicines, and the antihistamine, Chlorpheniramine, in Rebecca Riley's system.

She also had been prescribed Depakote and Seroquel to treat bipolar disorder, Cruz's office said. A psychiatrist diagnosed Rebecca Riley with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder when she was 2 years old.

The couple is innocent, their mothers told The Boston Globe.

Carolyn Riley's mother, Valerie Berio, said the charges are "ludicrous."

"She was their treasure, their angel," Berio told the Globe. "They loved her more than life itself. They didn't consciously give her anything to make her go to sleep and not wake up."

Bridget Norton Middleton, a spokeswoman for Cruz, said she did not know if the Rileys had hired a lawyer.

No telephone listing could immediately be found for the Rileys.


Unbelievable!!! who in their right mind would ever prescribe that type of medication to a toddler. The parents and the prescribing doctor should both be arrested.

[tammyd2]

Yes, that is the one.

[conchita]

Well the least they could have done is arrest them.

What I don't understand is, how they could have been so stupid as to being duped by some quack into telling them that their child had bipolar disorder at the age of 2 - does crying cause you don't want to eat but running around the house and playing 5 seconds later qualify as bipolar disorder? Cause that's what the average 2 year old does and that's probably what this poor child did.

How the hell did they not rebel at this "doctor''s diagnosis? Why didn't they just say - no thanks, I'll take her to a park and play, go fack yourself and your conclusions. Or they should have got a second, third, fourth opinion - she could have been suffering from something else - and not of a psychological nature.

This "doctor" should be arrested as well.

Poor little girl...I hope she finally finds some peace now.

[taylorsmom]

sheesh..

I want to overdose them on medication and then mix it with cough syrup.. Don't they they know about not mixing certain meds...

I hope they rot in jail..

Prescribed or not I wouldn't my child those meds.. Sheesh I don't even give him an aprisin unless I know he is really needing one!!


Edit.. Arrest the shrink too.. (if that's really the case)

[pattylondon]

Well then my son has a triple Bipolar disorder, he run and run, and jump, and swim, and jump again, and run, and run, and run again, and play with grand pa and grand ma, and then plays with his uncle Ro, then plays with me the chasing tikle game... and get started all over again.

Oh and in the Day care he keep hole attention from his teachers, cause in one minute he can do anything! And its a normal kid according to the Director!

Those two has to be in jail, not for crime but for stupidity!

[sanman]

Dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant in over-the-counter medicines, and the antihistamine, Chlorpheniramine

not only did they not want the child to run around, be active or emote....they apparently didn't want to hear her cough or sneeze or make any other noise.

lock those Justin Beiber Fans up....the doctor, too.

Edited to add:

you now...it's just common sense: you don't mix meds without discussing it with a doctor first!!!

example...my dog is a junkie. BIG TIME. he takes Chlorpheniramine, up to 4 pills a day sometimes. when i take him to the vet when he's sick, i bring the entire contents of his pill drawer with me. (that's right...he's got an entire drawer to his very own). i spill those pill bottles out of the bag and onto the exam table and we go through them every time to make sure there are no accidents and also to see whether anything needs to get thrown out.

these people TOTALLY need to be held responsible for what happened to their little girl. at the very least, they should be convicted of negligent homicide.

[La Princess]

Can't kids be kids anymore? This overmedicating kids is out of hand. I read that over 60% of kids are on Ritalin. That's outrageous. I don't believe a 2 year old should be on medication like these. The doctor and psychiatrist should be be disbarred.

[RioDuranie]

Thats sad. If they did care enough a second opninon would have ment life or death.

This happened when my Ellie was a few months old her then doctor wanted to run cat scans, more chest x-rays and more blood work, and a different antibiotic Because she apparently was so ill. I finally went for a second opnion and was told she has allergies. I switched to the doctor we went to and hadnt had any problems since.

[Carina]

There is no frickin' way to diagnose a 2-year old with bipolar!

The doc is a quack, and his med license should be revoked.