Case Spotlights Bipolar Disorder in Children Story aired: Thursday, February 15, 2007
The recent tragic death of a Massachusetts pre-schooler after a prescription drug overdose is drawing attention to anti-psychotic drugs prescribed to mentally ill children.
Four year-old Rebecca Riley was taking a potent cocktail of psychiatric drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bi-polar disorder.
Her parents are now charged with murder for allegedly giving Rebecca the overdose. And her doctor has stopped practicing medicine while the state investigates.
Dr. Janet Wozniak of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston wrote the paper that changed the way psychiatrists view bipolar disorder in children. Her paper said the disorder is a lot more common that most doctors realize. Her research eventually led to a dramatic increase in the number of children diagnosed with, and being treated for, bipolar disorder.
