Copyright 2004 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers
San Mateo County Times (San Mateo, CA)
January 30, 2004 Friday
HEADLINE: Parents of teen suicide sue County Mother said 16-year-old had troubles
with alcohol
BYLINE: By Tim Hay, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: REDWOOD CITY
The parents of a teen who hanged himself while being treated at the Day Top Village drug rehabilitation center are suing San Mateo County, two counselors and a doctor, saying their son was misdiagnosed for depression and that gross
negligence contributed to his suicide.
Alan and Vicki Henry say their son Will, who was 16 when he died, should have been kept in a locked mental health facility, and are seeking unspecified damages.
The case was recently thrown out of federal court when a judge found no federal violations, County Counsel Tom Casey said Thursday.
"It's a complete tragedy, but I don't think anybody did anything wrong," he said. "That's what came out of the federal court."
Will Henry was arrested in April 2000, the suit said. His mother told The Times in 2001 he had problems with alcohol.
According to the suit:
Henry told police and probation officials at the time of his arrest that he was considering committing suicide. He was sent to the psychiatric unit at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco, where a doctor prescribed 10 milligrams of Prozac a day.
When Henry became restless and uncomfortable, his dosage was doubled.
After a short stay at St. Mary's, Henry was moved to Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, where he continued to take Prozac but got no other treatment for depression.
On May 22, after less than a month in juvenile hall, Henry was released to Day Top Village, a residential drug treatment program.
At the rehab, Dr. Don Mordecai doubled Henry's Prozac dosage to 40 milligrams a day, though the suit claims the teen was suffering from "Akathisia," a side-effect of antipsychotic medications and antidepressants characterized by
extreme restlessness and increased depression.
The suit doesn't indicate whether Henry was ever diagnosed with Akathisia, which, according to the Scottish Medical Journal, can lead to "increased risk of suicide and violence."
According to the lawsuit, "Will's condition went from one of a passive, depressive nature into an actively anxious, severely suicidal condition, which put him at even higher risk of self-injury and death."
The suit also claims Henry made repeated threats about killing himself while at Day Top, and that he cut himself with razor blades and paper clips.
Anticipating a visit from his mother on June 13, Will told several counselors he planned to steal money from her, then walk out of the facility and kill himself, according to the suit.
Though he didn't steal from his mother, five days after the visit he left the center in the evening -- stuffing clothing inside his blankets to make it look like he was sleeping, his mother said -- and hanged himself, according to the
suit.
The Henrys, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, are suing the County, Day Top, Dr. Mordecai and two counselors.
Claims made in a lawsuit give only one side of a story. A spokesman said Day Top makes it a policy not to speak about its current or former clients.
Staff writer Tim Hay covers County government. He can be reached at 306-2428 or by
e-mail at
thay@sanmateocountytimes.com .
