Child’s psychiatrist also treated her siblings

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=181485


Child’s psychiatrist also treated her siblings

By Laura Crimaldi

Wednesday, February 7, 2007 - Updated: 07:42 PM EST

Rebecca Riley’s psychiatrist told the child’s mother more than a year ago that increasing her prescription medication against medical advice could be fatal, according to authorities.

In court papers, investigators wrote Dr. Kayoko Kifuji - a longtime physician specializing in mood and anxiety disorders - had been treating Rebecca, 4, since 2004, when she diagnosed the little girl with bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Kifuji, who also treated Rebecca’s siblings, prescribed Clonidine, Depakote and Seroquel for the girl, they wrote.

Prescribed for adults to treat high blood pressure and sometimes prescribed for children as young as toddlers to treat insomnia, violent or aggressive behavior and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Clonidine works by controlling nerve impulses along certain nerve pathways. Side effects can include drowsiness, headaches, dizziness and blurry vision.

In October 2005, Rebecca’s mother, Carolyn Riley, increased Rebecca’s nighttime Clonidine dose against Kifuji’s advice, according to an affidavit for Carolyn and her husband Michael’s arrest in their daughter’s death.

“Dr. Kifuji stated that she was shocked and very concerned that Carolyn Riley would do such a thing,” the affidavit states. “When asked why, Dr. Kifuji stated that she told Carolyn Riley that the increased dose could kill Rebecca.

”Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said he has reported Kifuji to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine in connection with the case.

In a statement, Tufts-New England Medical Center, where Kifuji has worked since 2003 and previously studied for five years in the 1990s, said: “Dr. Kifuji has outstanding credentials and is respected within her field.”

Kifuji is a 1981 graduate of the Tokyo Women’s Medical College who completed residencies there in pediatrics and pediatrics allergy, according to her profile with the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine. She also completed post-graduate training at Daini Hospital, part of the Tokyo Women’s Medical College.

At Tufts, Kifuji serves as medical director of the Adult Psychiatry Consultation and Emergency Psychiatry Service and the Child & Adolescent Eating Disorder Service.

A man who answered the door at her Somerville home yesterday declined to comment.

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=181485
Tweet