Remembering the Rebecca Riley Medical Child Abuse Case

Psychiatrist Dr. Kayoko Kifuji of Tufts-New England Medical Center had prescribed 4-year old Rebecca Riley psychotropic drugs for more than a year prior to the child's drug-induced death in December 2006.

CBS News reported that Dr. Kifuji had authorized a prescription regimen of ten medications per day for her patient's symptoms.

Rebecca Riley's death prompted national attention because her parents were charged and convicted of murder. Dr. Kayoko Kifuji continues to practice medicine.

There has been no meaningful introspection on the part of the medical community regarding these polypharmaceutical practices and the FDA has not intervened .  Enter ADHD on the computer and one will find numerous practitioners promising quick diagnosis and treatment.

At the time of the 60 Minutes Rebecca Riley broadcast, one million children were receiving psychotropic drugs, today the figure is 6 million according to The New York Times. The number of deaths and impairments caused by these commonly-prescribed childhood drug cocktails are not dutifully tracked.

Some of the medications attributed to Rebecca's death were Depakote /750 mg, Seroquel /200 mg, and Clonidine /.35 mg. PhRMA members have repositioned these epileptic, depression, and hypertension control substances to treat ADHD and Bipolar disorders. These recycled drugs are not approved by the FDA for use in children under the age of six.

Adverse health repercussions not discovered during adult clinical trials for the listed drugs are: children of pregnant women prescribed Depakote have exhibited impaired I.Q's and major birth defects, Seroquel and clonidine elevate the risk of heart abnormalities.

NIH provides access to clinical trial data on the 13,504 children's studies completed or in progress. The pool of U.S. underage test subjects are drawn from parents or from state child protection agencies. In 2011 there were 400,540 children under states' care available for research.

Under federal law , state wards may be enrolled in test projects if Institutional Review Boards determine that the experiment poses "minimal risk, greater than minimal risk but with a prospect of direct benefit, and a minor increase over minimal risk without prospect of direct benefit."

Most Institutional Review Boards are now commercial entities and that status may taint members' risk/benefit judgments according to the Government Accountability Office.

It is instructive to look at the Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of Riluzole in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). This 5-6 month experiment involved 80 children, ages 9-17. To be enrolled, the children had to exhibit anxiety and bipolar symptoms. During the trial most of the children were confined to the Pediatric Behavioral Health Unit. Research format: blood and urine samples, reduction and cessation of current medications, then application of either a placebo or the test product. Riluzole is currently prescribed for ALS patients.

Ethicists argue that placing formally-mistreated children in clinical trials and prescribing wards of state psychotropic drugs are indefensible practices.

References:

" Atypical Antipsychotic Use Among Medicaid-Insured Children and Adolescents: Duration, Safety, and Monitoring Implications " —Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology—April 2014

" Psychotropic Meds for Georgia Youth in Foster Care: Who Decides ? " — Georgia Supreme Court Committee on Justice for Children—January 2011

Is Daydreaming a Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Disorder?

Children under the Influence of Psychotropic Drugs

Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, stated in reference to the April 2014 paper, " Atypical Antipsychotic Use Among Medicaid-Insured Children and Adolescents: Duration, Safety, and Monitoring Implications ," the following:

This study adds critical hard data to our understanding of a persistent and unacceptable trend in pediatric psychiatry. Our poorest, most vulnerable children, lacking access to evidence-based care, are receiving potentially harmful treatment with little oversight.

More than 6 million children are under treatment for attention deficit hyperactive disorder according to a recent NYT's report . There are approximately 500,000 children classified as state wards. The number of state-protected minors being prescribed emotion-altering drugs has not been quantified.

Those who proselytized the ADHD diagnosis, such as psychologist Russell Barkley , believe that numerous children and adults suffer from a yet-to-be recognized DSMMD separate condition called sluggish cognitive tempo disorder. Standard practice policies dictate that these Neurotransmittor dysfunctions are chronic and must be controlled with medications. Dr. Barkley's opinions on abnormal childhood psychological conditions may be suspect because he is a remunerated spokesman for the pharmaceutical industry.

Another sluggish cognitive tempo disorder and ADHD advocate, Dr. Keith McBurnett , told the NYT's that

These children are not the ones giving adults much trouble, so they’re easy to miss. They’re the daydreamy ones, the ones with work that’s not turned in, leaving names off of papers or skipping questions, things like that, that impinge on grades or performance. So anything we can do to understand what’s going on with these kids is a good thing.

Some of the drugs currently prescribed for ADHD patients: are: Adderall /Adderall XR , Concerta , Dexedrine , Focalin/ Focalin XR , Metadate CD/Metadate ER , Methylin/ Methylin ER , Ritalin/ Ritalin SR/Ritalin LA, Vyvanse , Daytrana , [ recalled ] and Quillivant XR .

PhRMA intends on marketing these ADHD products to the estimated 2 million children suspected of having the SCT mental impairment in spite of the knowledge that these central nervous system stimulant drugs are high-risk Schedule II substances.

Alarming fact: Federal law permits children under state jurisdiction to be enrolled in clinical trials. Protocols are as follows:

Children who are Wards of the state may be included in research that presents minimal risk 46.404 (50.51) or greater than minimal risk with a prospect of direct benefit 46.405 ( 50.52) of subpart D Children who are Wards of the state may be included in research that presents greater than minimal risk with no prospect of direct benefit (46.406 (50.53) or 46.407 ( 50.54) only if the IRB determines and documents that such research is...

This information was extracted from Boston Children's Hospital Clinical Investigation Policy and
Procedure Manual. 

Most Americans, if informed, would consider these experiments unconscionable because there is no practicable methodology for ensuring these children's safety. It has long been established that the pharmaceutical industry has excessive sway over some physicians' conduct.

Take for example the 2011 findings of the Georgia Supreme Court regarding the use of ADHD drugs on state-held minors. The Court's task force found that large numbers of children under state care are receiving unapproved psychotropic medications. This is possible because the FDA has no authority to regulate physicians' off-label prescription practices.

Are attention deficit hyperactivity and sluggish cognitive tempo disorders valid psychological conditions or are they clever industry conceits?

For further insight into this question please read Marcia Angell's article: "The Epidemic of Mental Illness: Why?"

Pearson Common Core Test Products under Gag Order

New York officials signed a $32 million five-year contract with Pearson PLC 's subsidiary, NCS Pearson Inc., in 2011 for its Common Core test merchandise. Pearson, a British consortium, is the world's most influential purveyor of educational supplies and holds numerous contracts with New York and other states. Texas, for example, is paying Pearson $462 million for its five-year contract.

Unknown at the time, the Pearson/New York agreement stipulated that the 2014 spring exams would be classified and not subject to public review or educators' criticism. In response to Elizabeth Phillips' April 10 NYT's Op-Ed " We need to Talk About the Test ," Pearson says that the state is responsible for the gag order.

Public funds paid for the Pearson contract so it is unlikely that if challenged the suppression order will withstand judicial scrutiny but it is concerning that one or both of the parties believed they could stifle free speech.

The Washington Post revealed last year that Pearson has an unsatisfactory performance history. Alan Singer amplifies the company's failings on the Ravitch blog.

Mr. Singer shares the following sobering information regarding Pearson:

Pearson Education owns the publishers Adobe , Scott Foresman , Penguin , Longman , Wharton , Harcourt , Puffin , Prentice Hall , and Allyn & Bacon . They are deeply involved in test assessment producing the National Assessment of Educational Progress , the Stanford Achievement Test , the Millar Analogy Test, the New York City special high school admissions test, and the G.E.D . Through interlocking boards of directors, partnerships, and donation’s from the company’s foundation, they have developed relationships with the largely online University of Phoenix , Teach for America , Stanford University, the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and the Gates , Lumina , Broad , and Walton Foundations.

The American Legislative Exchange Council [ ALEC] chose the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers as its Common Core sales agents. ALEC favors privatizing public education.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aligned with the Pearson Foundation in 2011 to pursue its Common Core mission. In December 2013 NY Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman , collected $7.7 million from the Pearson Foundation following his allegations of improper use of charitable funds.

It appears from various news sources that Common Core gag orders exist outside the state of New York. An example is the testimony of Susan Kimball, a Missouri kindergarten teacher. Ms. Kimball told state senators in March:

I have been strongly discouraged from saying anything negative about Common Core by my administration and some school board members.

In a professional development meeting, um, inservice in November, and at a faculty meeting in January, we were told in my building, and I quote, ‘Be careful about what you post on Facebook, or talk about in the public regarding Common Core. Don’t say anything negative. It could affect your job.’

Unless we the people say "This shall not stand," the Common Core cartel will control every facet of the American education system.

The Justina Pelletier Medical Experiment

The Justina Pelletier Boston Children's Hospital experience, as reported by The Boston Globe, demonstrates that parents and children have no substantive rights in the matter of medical child abuse allegations. Parents who follow physicians' recommendations may be charged with abuse and lose their children to state welfare agencies.

Initiators of the medical child abuse theory, Drs. Carole Jenny and Thomas Roesler, posit that parents, especially mothers, are able to coerce professionals into performing dangerous surgery and prescribing unnecessary drugs. If this dubious concept has any merit, the state is accusing the wrong party. The perpetrators are the medical practitioners.

When Dr. Alice Newton, head of Boston Children's Hospital child protection unit, levied charges of medical child abuse in February 2013 she targeted Justina's parents, not the child's primary physician, Dr. Mark Korson. In Dr. Newton's professional opinion, Lou and Linda Pelletier were the cause of Justina's illness, not the mitochondrial disorder identified by her physician. Defending her diagnosis, Dr. Newton said “It’s the kind of diagnosis vulnerable to manipulation by parents.”

Dr. Newton was able to make her somatoform disorder diagnosis in an improbable three days and it was this judgment that prompted the Department of Children and Families to petition Juvenile Judge Joseph Johnston to revoke Pelletier parental rights.

A medical dispute case e.g. Boston Children's Hospital versus Tufts Medical Center is complicated and critically so when a child's health and well being is under consideration. Judge Johnston did not question the validity of the BCH charges and because of his actions the Pelletiers lost custody and Justina became and remains a ward of the state.

Justina suffered cruel tribulations while under Judge Johnston's protection. Examples are: change in prescription regime, no contact with her former attending physician, a ten-month confinement in BCH's psychiatric ward, absence of education/religious providers, and an hour a week with her parents.

Because Justina is a state ward, Lou and Linda Pelletier have no knowledge of their daughter's current treatment plan or whether she has been prescribed psychotropic drugs. Judge Johnston decided last month that Justina may not have any physical contact with her parents.

Under existing law, BCH and other like institutions are permitted to subject children to this treatment and more. As referenced, children under state care may be used in drug trials and medical research. The following is extracted from Boston Children's Hospital Clinical Investigation Policy and Procedure Manual:

Children who are Wards of the state may be included in research that presents minimal risk 46.404 (50.51) or greater than minimal risk with a prospect of direct benefit 46.405 ( 50.52) of subpart D
Children who are Wards of the state may be included in research that presents greater than minimal risk with no prospect of direct benefit (46.406 (50.53) or 46.407 ( 50.54) only if the IRB determines and documents that such research is...

Please continue reading the hospital's manual for further details. The abbreviated IRB term refers to Institutional Review Board.

It may seem implausible that minors are test products, but these industry-conceived programs have been federally sanctioned for decades.

A recent study commissioned by the Georgia Supreme Court found that anywhere from 26% to 43% of foster care children have been prescribed psychotropic drugs. Most, 45-75 %, of these medications are not FDA approved for use in children. In other words pharmaceutical reps via physicians are prescribing these behavioral agents off label. This is definitively medical child abuse.

Boston Children's Hospital experimentation practices on "taken children" are detailed in the Kathleen Higgins complaint letter and The Boston Globe articles: " A medical collision with a child in the middle" and " Frustration on all fronts in struggle over child’s future."

The Green Tree—Ocwen—Nationstar Mortgage Hustle

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported in March 2014 that mortgage complaints are rising and cite loan transfers as a significant facet of the problem.

Loan servicers such as Green Tree, Ocwen, and Nationstar are subjecting borrowers to unwarranted processing fees, illegitimate foreclosures, payment denial, misplaced documents, harassment and threats.  Loans under modification are at heightened risk of corporate malfeasance.

Mortgage initiators such as Citi, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Ally [formally GMAC], Countrywide, and JP Morgan Chase have sold servicing rights to Green Tree and other processors. In spite of the $25 billion National Mortgage Settlement in 2012, lending and servicing industries continue their predatory methods. For example Ocwen Loan Servicing agreed in February 2014 to compensate borrowers more than $2 billion for the company's abusive practices.

This CFPB-led action coupled with Ocwen consumer complaints and possible conflict of interest issues persuaded Benjamin M. Lawsky, New York's chief banking regulator to deny Wells Fargo's request to transfer $39 billion in servicing rights to Ocwen in February. Mr. Lawsky says that these surrogate agents are not protecting consumers' interests.

Approximate 2013 mortgage loan servicing portfolios for the big three are: Ocwen $455 billion, Green Tree [Walter Investment Management] $195 billion, and Nationstar $415 billion.

An example of Green Tree's business practices are revealed in the Gregory F. Grugnale class action lawsuit . For several years Mr. Grugnale received repetitive threatening calls regarding his unpaid mortgage but the plaintiff did not have a debt obligation with Green Tree. Other complaints regarding Green Tree's conduct can be found here and here . Green Tree, like Ocwen, has profited from forced-insurance schemes.

Nationstar consumer grievances are too similar to those of Ocwen and Green Tree to be happenstance. In fact they mimic the attorneys general findings in the 2012 National Mortgage Settlement. It appears that Ocwen, Green Tree, and Nationstar not only purchased servicing rights but also the banks' text book on how to defraud clients.

The evidence suggests collusion between the banks and the servicing principals. The question is will these intertwined entities be prosecuted?