Psychiatrist who practiced in Nashua allegedly used fake prescription to get drugs

Report from the Union Leader

A Nashua psychiatrist has been arrested by state narcotics investigators and charged with using a bogus prescription to obtain a scheduled drug, N.H. State Police said.

Robert C. Vidaver, 50, of Henniker, was arrested by Henniker police, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the Narcotics and Investigations Unit of the state police.

State police said the arrest followed a four-week investigation, which started after the NIU’s Drug Diversion Section received a complaint about Vidaver.

He is charged with obtaining a controlled drug by fraud.

According to an online listing at the New Hampshire Board of Medicine, Vidaver is a psychiatrist who works at Harbor Homes, a Nashua organization that provides housing, health care, employment, job training and supportive services to the poor and disabled.

Vidaver’s license was issued in 2007 and is set to expire on June 30.

After his arrest, Vidaver was released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in Hillsborough District Court on July 28.

A red flag about medicating young children

A column from the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript by Bonnie Harris

World-renowned Harvard child psychiatrist and director of the research team at Mass General Hospital Dr. Joseph Biederman has been found by Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa to have failed to report millions of dollars he has received over the years from the drug companies that make the drugs he prescribes for ADHD and bipolar disorder. Biederman and his research team are responsible for putting the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, previously thought to start in young adulthood, on children as young as three.

The reported diagnosis of bipolar disorder grew 40-fold between 1994 and 2003. And that data is five years old. Biederman is the number-one influence on doctors nationwide who diagnose and medicate children with bipolar and attention-deficit disorder. Antipsychotic drugs previously prescribed for adults are now being given to children as young as three -- one of whom died at age 4 from an overdose her mother gave her desperately trying to control her behavior.

According to Medco, a pharmacy benefits manager, 500,000 children and teenagers were given at least one prescription for an antipsychotic in 2007, including 20,500 who were younger than 6 years old. Biederman claims, "The average age of onset is about four .... It's solidly in the preschool years."

Another 3-year-old was reported by his mother to have violent and explosive outbursts. After a year of treatment, his mother says a psychiatrist told her he thought her son was bipolar. As the boy's mother reported, "He would tell us, you know, 'You donlove me.' ''You don't like me.' 'I don't like myself.' 'I hate myself.' 'I'm stupid.' 'Nobody likes me.' 'I wanna die.' Four-year-olds don't talk like that." After the boy was put on a fourth medication, the family decided that was enough and took their son to Seattle Children's Hospital, where they were told he was not bipolar. He now takes medication for hyperactivity and a sleep disorder. And he's learning to deal with his explosive moods through a behavioral program. The family claims there is no comparison to the child they are parenting today compared to the one diagnosed as bipolar.

Dr. John McClellan, familiar with this boy's case, says the children's psychiatric hospital he runs in the state of Washington is filled with kids who have been misdiagnosed as bipolar. He says it has become a catchall for aggressive and troubled children.

Please, let this report be a red flag to all who have children too quickly diagnosed with ADHD, bipolar disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and others.

A young child claiming that no one loves him, that he's stupid, hates himself, or wishes he could die is often a child who is crying out for acceptance and attention from the influential adults in his life who have yet to understand him and his problems. With that understanding, adjusted expectations, removal of damaging behavior modification techniques such as punishment, many children, even those with chemical imbalances and disorders, can have appropriate behavior without medication. So many children in today's world react strongly to being told what to do and how to do it, to feeling disrespected with regular criticism and punishment, to not fitting in to a schoolroom full of other children who seem to be able to "get it" more easily, to being easily overstimulated or misunderstood for the reasons beneath their behavior.

Children who feel misunderstood are capable of highly inappropriate behavior that is trying to signal their need. They don't know how to say "Hey, this isn't working. My needs are not getting met." So they act it out -- louder and more dramatically the longer the misunderstanding. One of the children diagnosed with bipolar disorder had a father who had been accused of abuse. This factor was not part of the equation of the diagnosis.

We must look to the reasons -- the root causes -- of why our children don't, won't or can't do what we ask. Diagnoses often feel validating and relieving when our attempts at control don't work to get our children to comply. We can shift the blame onto to "problem" and we don't have to change how we parent.

Let me be absolutely clear that I do not consider the parent to blame. It is the culture in which we live that does not support parents to support their children. We are still in a children-must-do-as-we-say mentality and if they don't -- well now we can medicate them and we don't have to deal with it. Let me also say that are many cases in which medication is helpful and necessary.

But please lets start to put more effort into understanding children, their temperaments, the reasons for their behavior, their need for acceptance and compassion, their desire to get it right and their frustrations when they can't.

Let's not medicate those frustrations before thorough evaluations can be conducted by several professionals looking at the behavior from different perspectives.

And please let's take some responsibility for what we, their parents and teachers, are presenting to our children that become triggers for disruptive behavior.

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Bonnie Harris, M.S.Ed,. is the director of Connective Parenting. Past columns can be found on her Web site, http://www.connectiveparenting.com. E-mail questions or topic requests to bh@bonnieharris.com.

Psychologist on trial sex charges

From the Eagle Times in New Hampshire

Donald Sanborn III, a local psychologist, has plead not guilty to a variety of sex abuse charges. Sanborn was arrested for lewd and lascivious conduct and exploitation of a vulnerable adult-sexual abuse.

Sanborn has a practice in his home. Under his conditions of release Sanborn can still practice, but not with any female patients or younger patients. He was barred from having contact with the person involved.

According to Bellows Falls detective Jennifer Carroll's affidavit, the victim reported to attorney Robert Fisher on June 13, 2007 that Sanborn had been doing "naughty things" during her psychologist sessions for the last three to four months. This claim was then reported to the police.

On Nov. 13, Carroll met with the victim at the police department. The victim's husband told Carroll she had Disassociate Identity Disorder and Agoraphobia, a fear of being in crowds or open areas. Therefore the victim will act like a 5-year-old when she is "threatened," the affidavit states.

The husband told Sanborn of this disorders and topics that put the victim into a "defensive mode." Sanborn often spoke of these topics, the affidavit states.

The woman started seeing Sanborn in 2003 to help with her disorders, in November 2006 Sanborn allegedly told the victim's husband to let the woman come to therapy along.

He did for approximately six to seven months.

On June 22, 2007 the victim's husband asked his wife why socks were, "balled up in the back of the drawer where they should not have been," the affidavit said. The victim said the socks were the one's "dirtied by Dr. Sanborn."

The victim's husband wrapped the socks in newspaper and took them to the lawyer's office.

On Oct. 29, Carroll told the package and sent to the Vermont Forensic Laboratory for testing. On Nov. 26, the lab report stated one of the socks was positive for "PSA, a protein found in high concentration in seminal fluid," the affidavit says. The other sock had a positive presumptive test for seminal fluid.

On Dec. 18, Carroll was granted a order to collect a swab sample from Sanborn. He submitted swabs on Dec. 26.

A lab report on Jan. 9, 2008 said the primarily reportable types of sperm matched.

Sanborn is scheduled for on April 21.

Inmates sue former guard at prison psychiatric unit, allege sex assault

From the Concord Monitor in NH

A former prison guard who was fired in 2005 after allegations that he sexually assaulted female inmates is being sued by two women who say they were among his victims. The women are also suing the Department of Corrections, accusing it of ignoring early reports of the abuse.

The women said they were sexually assaulted at the state prison's secure psychiatric unit in 2003 and 2004 by former guard Darrell Brinkley while receiving treatment for mental health concerns, according to their lawsuits in Merrimack County Superior Court.

The first alleged victim, who was hospitalized at the unit following a suicide attempt, said Brinkley fondled and kissed her while her arms and feet were fastened to a bed in what is known as "four-point" restraints. She said she reported the abuse to another corrections officer.

The second alleged victim claimed that Brinkley fondled her and also coerced her to have sex with him four to six times in her treatment cell. When she resisted, Brinkley threatened to put her into "four-point" restraints, according to the lawsuit.

The state Department of Corrections, which fired Brinkley in 2005 after investigating the complaints against him, has denied that it ignored reports of Brinkley's alleged abuse, according to its filings in the case. Prison officials said they investigated the allegations immediately and fired Brinkley.

Brinkley, 51, of Antrim has not responded to the lawsuits, which were filed late last year and are scheduled to go to trial next spring. He joined the prison staff in June 2000 and was fired in May 2005, said prison spokesman Jeff Lyons.

Lyons declined to discuss Brinkley's termination. Brinkley could not be reached for comment, and it does not appear that he has retained a lawyer. Court staff have been told that Brinkley may be in Iraq, but that could not be confirmed this week.

Brinkley has not been criminally charged in connection with the women's allegations, but Jane Young, head of the criminal bureau at the state attorney general's office said the state police are investigating the allegations against him.

The civil bureau of the state attorney general's office is defending the prison in the cases, which is customary, but that bureau has declined to also represent Brinkley. Lawyer Andrew Livernois of the civil bureau said the state can refuse to defend a state employee in a civil case when the employee's on-the-job actions were wanton or reckless. "We think it's more likely than not that the acts were wanton or reckless," Livernois said.

The women - one has been released and the other is about to be - are being represented by Concord attorney Michael Sheehan. The women were inmates at the women's prison in Goffstown, but both spent time, separately, at the secure psychiatric unit, which is on the grounds of the men's prison in Concord.

One of the women arrived at the psychiatric unit in September 2003, after she tried to kill herself in Goffstown. The night she tried to kill herself, the woman was medicated and put into a bed with the restraints. As the woman fell asleep from the medication, Brinkley kissed her, according to the lawsuit.

When the woman awoke, Brinkley was in the cell and told her she was beautiful and had many reasons to live. He kissed her again and fondled her, the lawsuit said. The woman told a female officer that Brinkley was being "a little too friendly for comfort," but the officer did nothing, according to the lawsuit.

Later, Brinkley confronted the woman about reporting him, the lawsuit said. Brinkley continued to touch the woman inappropriately and directed her to have sex with him, the lawsuit said. "Because of her fear of Brinkley and what steps he could take against (her) if she refused, (the woman) complied with Brinkley's request," the lawsuit said.

The second lawsuit accused Brinkley of similar behavior a few months later, between December 2003 and February 2004. During the woman's six-week confinement at the psychiatric unit, Brinkley fondled her and coerced her to have sex, according to the woman's lawsuit. At the time, the woman was under the care of a psychiatrist and taking medication.

When the woman objected, Brinkley threatened not only to place her in restraints but also to tell staff that the woman had misbehaved, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit accuses prison officials of letting the second assault happen by ignoring the first woman's complaints.

Both women are seeking unspecified damages from Brinkley and the state Department of Corrections.

In its responses to the women's lawsuits, prison officials have maintained they bear no responsibility for Brinkley's alleged actions.

"Mr. Brinkley's supervisors at the (prison) had absolutely no knowledge of any inappropriate behavior by Mr. Brinkley," the attorney general's office responded on the prison's behalf. "The (women) did not complain about Mr. Brinkley's behavior until some months later.

"As soon as (prison officials) learned about the (women's) allegations, they conducted an investigation and referred the matter to the state police for investigation," the prison's response continues. "The (prison) subsequently terminated Mr. Brinkley."

The prison also disputed claims that it had not properly trained Brinkley. During his time at the prison, Brinkley went through the basic training and training regarding sexual harassment, the prison said.

At a criminal trial this year, another former corrections officer was convicted of raping a female inmate at the Shea Farm halfway house in Concord. Doug Tower, a sergeant, was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison. He still faces sexual assault charges involving 12 other inmates.

Board - Psychologist must be supervised

From the Boston Globe

A psychologist at the center of a controversy over child abuse reporting will not lose her license, but must be supervised for the next 18 months, a state board said.

The state Board of Mental Health Practice also ordered psychologist Anita Remig to pay for the supervision and to take continuing education classes.

Remig was cited by the board after the mother of three boys she was treating filed a complaint against her. Remig claimed she was being targeted for reporting possible child abuse after one of the boys became suicidal.

Charles Proulx, a non-lawyer who represented Remig, called the disciplinary proceedings a "witch hunt" and accused the board of operating without clear rules, in violation of state law.

"This case has been followed nationally because what she did was based on the Child Protection Act," he said. "The CPA contains protection from reprisals. With this decision, the worst fears of the professional community have been realized, and what you will see is that mental health professionals will shy away from working with high-risk clients."

However, the board emphasized that it was not punishing Remig for making a child abuse report.

In fact, the ruling suggested Remig might have been required to report her suspicions of abuse and neglect sooner. Remig treated the boys over five years and told the board in testimony that "every single session was a litany of violence" committed by the oldest boy against the middle brother, the ruling said.

The board sanctioned Remig for keeping sloppy billing and treatment records, noting that her testimony frequently contradicted her own notes from sessions. It also found she failed to terminate her treatment of the boys properly and did not pass along their records to their new therapist within the required 30 days.

The board, in its April 20 decision, found that Remig did not admit her shortcomings.

But Proulx said Remig stood up for her principles at the expense of her career. He said Remig would file a motion for reconsideration and was considering an appeal to the state Supreme Court.

"The die is cast for her," he said. "Her livelihood, her business, relies on insurance referrals, and those have dried up. She went public, dug in her heels and stood up to say this is not right. Her holding to her position has cost her dearly."

Investigation in alcohol-for-Ritalin School Incident

As seen in the Albany Democrat Herald

An incident involving a teacher’s aide who allegedly made an alcohol-for-Ritalin trade with a high school student has not yet resulted in charges.

Eric Hsu of the Linn County District Attorney’s Office said the incident has been sent back to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation.

“That has gone backwards instead of forwards,” Hsu said. “It looks like it will be longer now than we anticipated.”

The incident allegedly took place Sept. 14 on the campus of Sand Ridge Charter School.

According to the sheriff’s office, a 17-year-old junior came home intoxicated that day and told his mother a teacher’s aide had given him a fifth of Jack Daniels whiskey in exchange for 10 tablets of Ritalin.

The mother contacted Sand Ridge officials, who turned the information over to deputies.

Kelli Dixon, 35, of Sweet Home was arrested Sept. 15 on charges of furnishing alcohol to a minor, a misdemeanor. Sgt. Jim Yon said the sheriff’s office wanted the district attorney’s office to drop that charge in favor of a charge of delivery of a controlled substance, a felony.

“I think they’ve dropped everything at this point,” he said.

He said the sheriff’s office initially charged the student involved with delivery of a controlled substance and delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, but the district attorney’s office dropped both charges.

Yon said the sheriff’s office still believes initial information about the incident is correct. However, he said, investigators do want to conduct further interviews, which may add to or change charges in the case.

“We need to try to track one more person down,” he said.

Both Dixon and the family of the boy declined to comment on the incident.

N.H. Nurse Lies On Job To Get Man Committed

As seen on CBS4 in Boston, MA

A 30-year-old New Hampshire nurse was accused of lying on the job in order to get a man involuntarily admitted to a mental hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Julia Lynch of Baer Road in Rollinsford, New Hampshire was arrested for four charges: false swearing, attempted false imprisonment, stalking, and tampering with a public or private record.

Lynch reportedly filed false Involuntary Emergency Admission paperwork against a man known to her. Lynch was employed as a nurse at the Portsmouth Regional Hospital at the time that these crimes are alleged to have occurred, during October. Ms. Lynch was processed at the Portsmouth Police Department and released on $5,000 personal recognizance bail. She is scheduled for an arraignment in Portsmouth District Court on December 4th, 2006.

Notorious Psychiatrist Now a Political Candidate in New Hampshire.

[A updated repost of an earlier item, now that the original source article has returned online.] As originally seen in the Free Republic. The original poster has removed their post, but now it has returned. And now can be seen here

On Tuesday, September 12, 2006, Dr. Edward L. Rowan of Exeter won the Democratic nomination for the New Hampshire House of Representatives in District 13 which includes Exeter, Stratham and North Hampton.

Ed Rowan is a retired psychiatrist. He was sanctioned by the medical board for having a sexual relationship with a patient. He appealed the decision to the New Hampshire Supreme Court, claiming the board had no right to sanction him.

(Note that the State did not agree with this)

Of course, the major controversy for the Free Republic is that the ex-shrink is a Democrat, with the suggestion that he once wrote a book promoting masturbation. We consider this criticism catering somewhat to the purient interests of their readership.

Our problem with him is that he was sanctioned for sexual relations with a patient, which display extraordinary lack of concern for another human being trusted to his care. As an illustrative example of a character flaw, this does not bode well for his ability to handle a public trust, such as a public office.

As for the flaw of having once been a psychiatrist, our concerns should be obvious.

Footnotes:
1) see the NH Primary Winner's list, Rockingham County, District 13
2) the book: The Joy of Self-Pleasuring
3) Portsmouth Herald write-up on the candidates
4) State Supreme Court: Opinion vs Dr. Rowan

NH State Court withdraws psych drugging opinion

The New Hampshire state Supreme Court has withdrawn an opinion that said judges could order mentally ill suspects to take psychiatric drugs, because its opinion conflicted with a U.S. Supreme Court decision issued three days later. The state Supreme Court ruled in New Hampshire vs. Raymond Bahmer on June 13 that judges could order medication for mentally ill defendants for up to one year, if the treatment is likely to make them competent to stand trial.

Then on June 16, in the case of a mentally ill dentist, Charles Sell, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled defendants can be required to take psychiatric drugs only when there is no alternative treatment and when the government has a vital interest in prosecution. Even then, prosecutors must show the drugs are in the best medical interests of the suspect and unlikely to produce side effects that could hinder his ability to get a fair trial, the U.S. Supreme Court said. The federal court said such cases probably would be "rare."

Legal experts said the Sell decision would make it difficult to force medication on defendants - like Bahmer and Sell - who are not a danger to themselves or others and are not charged with violent crimes.