<p>There is some discussion in the article of the dangers of failure to diagnose and medicate these disorders in very young children, as well as the obvious opposing issue the case raises of premature diagnosis and over-medication in such a young child.</p>
<p>Based on this one article, my impression is that this particular case is one of child abuse and neglect, with parents over-medicating to suit their own convenience. Rather than honest mistakes of miscalculating dosage for a little one.</p>
<p>But I had never heard of diagnosing either of these two disorders in one so young. My first reaction is to be quite skeptical of the validity of such a diagnosis. But I figure there were will be some knowledgeable folks here who can comment one way or the other.</p>
<p>Now my own daughter has sensory issues, especially when she was young ( for instance she couldn’t wear cloth diapers- too uncomfortable and even hanna clothing made her scream)</p>
<p>How could you possibly diagnose a toddler with manic depression ( bi polar).
That reminds me of another thread asking if a teen could blame being moody and ornery at 13 on the fact that she was adopted!
Um toddlers- they are all bi polar as far as I am concerned- thats how they are made.
But then they grow out of it.</p>
<p>But as well as the parents- what the heck was the dr doing prescribing that kind of medication for a 24 month old baby?</p>
<p>Those drugs she was on- were really strong and although the article states otherwise, I have never heard of a dr prescribing them for such a young child, for that use.</p>
<p>Other therapeutic approaches should have been tried first- and while I realize shrinks are all about the meds, they should at least be informed about other techniques and able to make referrals</p>
<p>This case was a disgrace to the entire psychiatric profession, which, unfortunately, is responding to a double whammy of parents who want quick and easy “fixes” (learning to deal with difficult children is much more difficult than medicating them into zombies) and managed care, which allows too few therapeutic sessions to really combat difficult behavior.</p>
<p>Of course, the core issue in this case is the age of the child. It is criminal to assume any BABY (and a 24 month old is simply a baby) has a serious psychiatric disorder. I have enough problems with doctors whilly nilly prescribing Ritalin to five year old boys who are too bouncy at school!</p>
<p>Not to mention (which people like to forget) that there isn’t a single psychiatric medication, bar none which has been properly tested for efficacy on children, and there are absolutely no long term studies. So, doctors “guestimate” on dosages of potent adult medications, and no one, whatsoever, has any clue as to the long term ramifications.</p>
<p>That is such a horrific story. I understand that early diagnosis of mental illness is important, but I highly doubt this two year old (and all siblings) suffered from a mental disorder that required medicine and treatment. She couldn’t even speak when she was diagnosed! I think that even if a disorder was suspected, a good program for a toddler would be therapy aimed at young children. If that failed, then maybe low dose medicine. I’m obviously not a doctor, but I can’t fathom how this medicine would be deemed safe and necessary for such a young child. There were so many failures that resulted in this child’s death. I can only hope that the older children will be able to adjust and live healthy lives.</p>
<p>something doesn’t ring right
THe parents attorney is painting the picture of unsophisticated adults who were “just following drs advice”</p>
<p>Bull…
Even though my D had lots of difficulties and for years I didn’t get more than a few hours of sleep at a time as a result, I didn’t take her to a child neurologist until she was 6.</p>
<p>How could these parents be both unsophisticated, but savvy enough to find a Dr that would prescribe psychotropic meds for their toddler?</p>
<p>I don’t know but I do know that when I used to volunteer in my son’s nursery school there was one kid in the 3 yo class that was definitely out there. Other kids had good days and bad days, but this particular kid you had to watch like a hawk. I’m no psychiatrist, but I’m pretty sure there was something wrong with him. Among other things he was a biter. Still that was 1 out of perhaps 100 kids I ran into in the years my kids were in pre-school.</p>
<p>There are things you can do for kids with problems besides medicate them. Look at kids with autism: they participate in special programs, play therapy, and behavioral therapy in order to help them. I’m not a doctor, but medication may be necessary for young kids in some situations–but I can’t think of many. There are other options which should be looked at first.</p>
<p>This also reminds me of people giving kids, even babies, benedryl to calm them down. I understand it’s done in a moment of weakness and everything, and 99% of cases is harmless, but it’s still a risk I’d be very uncomfortable taking. I saw a talk show where they pointed out those meds are made for kids over 2 or 3 and infants have died from taking without the supervision of a doctor. It’s not made to be a convenience thing. I know prents can feel overwhelmed - take the child mathmom mentioned, having to always watch an extremely unpredictable child like a hawk would wear down anyone. But I’m sure if people whose children had been harmed as a result of such actions could take it back…it isn’t worth it, you have to find somewhere else to turn. </p>
<p>Also I’m not sure how sophisticated you have to be to not understand that you’re taking a risk with giving small children any drug, even OTC ones. Even so it’s possible the risk was underestimated and they thought that the worst thing that could happen would be somehow “fixable” (in this age of modern medicine I have seen people misunderstand the limits of what can be done). Hopefully this case will open some eyes…maybe prevent another tragedy.</p>
<p>^I was given Benadryl as a child before long plane flights. There are several anesthesiologists in my immediate family, and they recommended it. Who knows.</p>
<p>altho i don’t know this case, a few comments…yes, toddlers and young children need to be medicated, but only when PROPERLY diagnosed, and with intense monitoring and supervision. and parents need supportive treatment, to this end, as well. i am skeptical of diagnoses of BOTH ADHD, and Bipolar,as they are the ones that demand a differential diagnosis,ie, are frequently confused with each other. it makes a world of difference which one the child has…and by the way, both of these disorders have a strong genetic component, so one has to wonder if the parents weren’t healthy and aided in the poor child’s demise.</p>
<p>I think it’s generally fine for kids over 2 or 3 or whatever the recommended age is, like I said. I think the problems have come with people giving it to babies under 2 without the supervision of a doctor. Even OTC medications are not necessarily safe for infants.</p>
<p>They key to medicating infants and young children is to always check with a doctor. Benadryl occassionally before long flights, OK’d by doctors in the family–no problem. Adding a dose of a med may be fine in some situations, but it’s certainly not something a parent can assume is safe to do. In the end, you have to check medical decisions with a doctor. When I was about a week old, I spiked a fever of 105 degrees. My mother wasn’t worried since my older siblings had gotten high fevers before, and she figured she should give me some baby Tylenol. She gave my doctor a call to confirm, and he advised her to get me to a hospital ASAP. Medical decisions regarding medication should not be made by Mommy all by herself. I don’t know whether the doctor failed the parents in this case–I’d say it sounds as if there are a lot of people at fault in big and small ways–but I highly doubt the parents asked the doctor about all these extra doses. There are smart ways to medicate children, and this obviously isn’t it.</p>
<p>At least benadryl is one of the most well-understood pharmaceuticals in existence, and fairly harmless at the same time - as opposed to highly psychoactive drugs.</p>
<p>Wow…really awful. As far as I have learned working in a child psychiatrist’s office, children are not medicated for anything until at the MINIMUM 5 years, and I have only seen this happen maybe once for a child with severe OCD. Most kids aren’t begun on anything til 6 or older. Before that age, individual, family or play therapy has to suffice. Also, there is a precurser diagnosis for Bipolar, one that has some but not all of the elements of that disease, called Mood Disorder, NOS. It seems that most kids who are showing strong signs of mood swings are diagnosed with MD, NOS. It just seems that a child as young as the one in the story was a little too young to be diagnosed and medicated for such a serious disease. But, what do I know, I’m not the psychiatrist. I’ve just seen so many kids with psychiatric disorders, and have never seen a child medicated so young, or diagnosed with such a serious disorder so young. I just feel so bad for that baby. His parents, the doctor and the pharmacist should be held accountable.</p>
<p>Wow, so very disturbing. I am so sad for that child.</p>
<p>I also have never heard of such medication of very young children.<br>
How can diagnosis be made accurately on children with little or no speech??</p>
<p>We have a 17 year old with neurologic impairment who has taken medication since age 8. Even though we knew there was something ‘wrong’ at a much earlier age, none of the many specialists she saw since 18 months suggested medications earlier. We did employ a variety of other techniques and a structured preschool setting beginning at age 3.
Our D’s picture didn’t even reveal itself fully until third grade.</p>