via Seattle Children's Hospital Research Foundation 2009 Academic Report:
"TEOSS demonstrated that olanzapine and risperidone have significant side effects that limit their use. While molidone can cause symptoms similar to Parkinson disease, the two new drugs can cause explosive weight gain — up to 15 pounds in eight weeks — and put young people at risk for diabetes and heart disease. The study also found the new drugs are no more useful than the old drugs at reducing psychotic symptoms — and each is useful in only a fraction of cases." (emphasis mine) Read more here.
14 of 116 or 12% were "successfully treated" in TEOSS a small fraction at that!
This same man who is the lead author for the "Practice Parameters" for treating Schizophrenia in children and adolescents for The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; last updated in 2010. These parameters anticipate that 50% of the children prescribed neuroleptic drugs, called "antipsychotics," will develop Tardive Dyskinisia, a disabling condition which can be permanent--even if the child is withdrawn from the drug which caused it. This specific risk was never mentioned in the 4+ years Jon McClellan used my son in his Drug Trials without Informed Consent. "Increased pulse rate," is how he characterized the cardiac risks.
The man was evasive, and did not even seem to think it necessary to have any sort of permission from me to give any drugs to my son, who was in no condition to give Informed Consent. Frankly, it seemed to me it was a nuisance for him to answer any questions about the drugs, whatsoever. What I remember is having the impression that my questions appeared to be an inconvenience; he actually stated more than once, that he was not used to discussing his treatment recommendations with parents.
In fact, he made reference to the fact that many of his "patients," being Wards of the State, had no parents available to give consent to the drugs he prescribed---I found out that Washington State in fact had no consent procedure for the psychotropic drugs prescribed to children who are Wards of the State; although State Law did not in fact diminish a parent's right to provide consent for mental health treatment, when a child is in State Custody. When I was compelled to make my son a Ward of the State in order to get mental health services; I was assured these rights were not affected. I was compelled under totally false pretenses: I was told it was so that Isaac's care would continue to be covered by Medicaid---he was already on Medicaid; and fully qualified. I believe this was done to shift more of the cost of his care onto the Federal budget---outright fraud.
Jon McClellan told me I had no rights, repeatedly. It was Jon McClellan who provided 'consent.' Although he also repeatedly told me that Isaac "assented;" that his assent was evident because he took the drugs willingly. Since he was thirteen, Jon McClellan said my Informed Consent was not needed. My son was told if he didn't take the drugs, he would never get to leave the hospital and come home. A cruel manipulation of a traumatized adolescent, an abuse of power and authority; in a word, coercion. At the time, Jon McClellan was federally funded through the NIMH, as an investigator participating in the TEOSS Drug Trials.
In spite of the fact that State and Federal Law and Medicaid Guidelines all affirmed my rights as a parent; I was in fact, the only one according to The Law who was legally authorized to give consent once my son was over the age of thirteen,(---another policy which endanger's kids to this day---) AND lacked the capacity, to provide Informed Consent, As his mother, I was the only one who had the authority to give Informed Consent; yet, Jon McClellan maintained I had no say. In effect, according to him, I had no rights, to act on my sons behalf; to protect him.
A significant percentage of his patients at CSTC, do not have parents involved. I wonder how many parents become so dis-empowered, and can not defend themselves against disrespectful and condescending professionals who are neither honest or ethical, yet demand blind trust and respect. I realized my parental rights to make decisions about my son's medical care were effectively stripped from me by Jon McClellan; who assumed an authority he did not have. Acting as an agent of the State of Washington, McClellan violated Ethical Guidelines for Informed Consent.---and I went over the edge. Jon McClellan, after robbing me of my parental Constitutional Rights to act in my son's interests, made decisions that by law, were mine to make---without getting The Court's permission first.
To this day, a significant percentage of the kids at CSTC are in fact wards of the State of Washington. Jon McClellan committed multiple felony crimes in his "treatment" of my son, violating The Nuremberg Code. I remember him joking about the effects of the neuroleptic drugs on my son's heart, saying they would increase my son's pulse, and joked that perhaps an increased pulse would help Isaac be alert and active! Never mentioning the risks of Tachycardia, and high blood pressure Isaac has had since he was 13. Jon McClellan never told me about any of the dangerous effects of the neuroleptic drugs he used in massive quantities, or any other psychotropic drugs he used on my boy's still developing brain.
In fact, Isaac was not given an EKG until I insisted that it be done; because I had been educating myself about the deliterious effects of the drugs Jon McClellan was using. I was forced to do my own research because Jon McClellan was evasive and rude to me when I questioned him about the drugs and their obvious deleterious effect on my son--THAT is why I started doing research in earnest.
Imagine my sense of betrayal and utter horror when I attempted to assert my parental rights to protect my child, and was summarily dismissed by everyone---I will say it made me crazy, to be looked right in the eye and be told I had NO say in what was being done to my son. Told this by a psychiatrist who continued to insist that Isaac's emotional and behavioral issues were UNRELATED to being traumatized, and unrelated to his diagnosis of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. The fact of the matter is, my son was still being traumatized: By the treatment itself, forced upon him by Jon McClellan. My son was traumatized by being invalidated by almost every professional in charge of his care for years; most appeared to not understand that what he perceived to be the problem was important. The repeated separations traumatized all of us. I was apparently expected to believe that his being beaten and locked in a closet by a Washington State foster parent and the ongoing trauma of being abused and neglected by State Contracted, "paid providers," whose "help" was at times, abusive and neglectful but it had nothing to do with the difficulties my son continued to have!
The continuous invalidation we both experienced was traumatic, it was a price to pay: enduring the apathetic, rude, unethical judgmental attitudes of Social Workers who constantly reminded us, "These services aren't cheap." The services were also NOT what was recommended; nor were they directed by me, as Federal Law required; and worst of all, Isaac's needs were never the focus. The fact that the services were not, "child-centered" or family directed, and oftentimes wholly inappropriate, MAY have had SOMETHING to do with my son's continued distress!
Services were paid for with Federal Medicaid and Child Welfare funds. Both of these federally-funded programs provide services which have by Law, since before Isaac was born been federally mandated to be family-directed and child centered. I was told "you are not paying for them, why are you complaining? It's free to you"---WHAT a crock! Those services may not have been paid for by money I earned on a job, and paid for directly---but I never considered them 'free' because they are NOT 'free'! I was and am angry that so much money was spent fraudulently to give my son anything but what was in fact recommended to treat his severe PTSD. Between the ages of seven and almost 17, my son spent more than half his life in being repeatedly hospitalized, to return home with a recommendation that Day Treatment, and intensive therapeutic services were necessary. He got drugs, which were not even approved for use in children; (billed to Medicaid--FRAUD) and a 15 minute once a month 'med management' appointment. When he did not improve, this was seen perceived as being Isaac's fault and my failure.
Between his first hospitalization for ten months, in his seventh year, and his last, a four plus years stay at Child Study and Treatment Center, there was never an attempt to provide the treatment my son needed, but he was constantly drugged-------- every one of the drugs used, was an "off-label" and UNapproved for children---NOT legally Medicaid reimbursable, yet Medicaid paid for them! At CSTC every single review which occurred every two months for the more than four years it was reported in The Case Review and Treatment Plan that I was being "educated and informed" and receiving support from the staff; about the diagnosis of schizophrenia and the numerous neuroleptic, and other classes of drugs (off-label) that my son was on; drugs which were not legally Medicaid reimbursable. This "education" supposedly also told me about their side-effects---it is a gross mis-characterization of the dialog which in fact occurred, to say the very least!
Nothing Jon McClellan told me about the drugs, or consent issues was complete or accurate information. Jon McClellan actually drafted "The Ethics Guidelines for Informed Consent" for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; but he never came close to following them himself, in 'treating' my son. My son could not /would not even hold a conversation, how could Jon McClellan reasonably claim my son was giving "Informed Consent"?! For me to believe he was, would require me to believe Jon McClellan was telling my traumatized son a lot more than he was telling me; and that my son had the capacity to understand. I would also have to believe my son did a risk benefit analysis of the information, and made a decision. Knowing that he could not make a decision about what to eat, what to wear, or answer even simple questions, there is no way that anyone other than Jon McClellan, and later his interns, approved the 'treatment' with drugs nto approved for children.
I remember like it was yesterday, because as Jon McClellan was blowing this smoke up my proverbial skirt; I was watching my son. What I saw, what I felt viscerally; made every fiber of my being scream inside, "WHY does it look like my son is dying?! Why are his eyes so full of anguish, why does he look tortured and devoid of hope!?!" My son was without hope, and it showed in every aspect of his presentation, he was not only physically unwell, he seemed aware that his mom had no authority, and that the staff had all the authority. He begged me to rescue him, and I had to keep telling him, "I'm trying." By stripping me of my parental rights to act on my son's behalf, Jon McClellan robbed me and he robbed my son.
It took me close to two years after it was put on a review that Isaac no longer needed to be at Child Study and Treatment Center, to bring him home. I learned what Court Procedure was and acted as my own attorney, then I had everyone served with this:
Final Note:
I have learned that it was the foster parent who abused Isaac that first got him mental health services. The discovery of four infant deaths, two before Isaac was in her home, and two after, ended her foster parent career. This horrific chain of events was featured in an investigative series in the Seattle Times in 1995, winning the reporter a Pulitzer. It was chilling to read the intake information she provided to the community mental health clinic. On the first page, she states she is bringing him in because he has no manners, or social skills and won't listen to, or follow simple directions. On the next page, she remarks how polite, smart and well mannered of a child he is; that he is artistic and likes to draw. I know which one I remember...
I have also discovered there is a 2 month period of time in the State's record----before he was placed with Margret Manson, the woman he was violently abused by, that where he lived and who with, is not in the record...I have also discovered that during his foster "care" he is listed as the victim in two separate Seattle Police reports.
My son's first psychiatric diagnoses were PTSD and left temporal lobe epilepsy---the latter diagnosis disappeared from his medical chart when he was went to CSTC in the fall of 2000; and was not on his discharge summary. When I pointed this fact out to Phillip Rodengerger, the Medical Director otf Central Washington Comprehensive Mental Health, it mysteriously reappeared and is once again on his medical record...
via medterms.com
"Temporal-lobe epilepsy: Epilepsy that is characterized by abnormal electrical activity in the temporal lobe of the brain. This activity does not cause grand mal seizures; rather, it causes unusual behaviors and patterns of cognition. Temporal lobe epilepsy may, for example, cause sudden outbursts of unexpected aggression or agitation, or it may be characterized by aura-like phenomena. The seizures of temporal-lobe epilepsy often start in childhood."
Temporal Lobe Epilepsy is thought to be caused by traumatic brain injury.
Temporal Lobe Epilepsy is thought to be caused by traumatic brain injury.
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