Va. Beach psychiatrist's license to be suspended

As seen in this report (more info at this link)

The medical license of a psychiatrist who played a leading role in the treatment of a Virginia Beach man who committed suicide in 2011 will be suspended by the Virginia Board of Medicine on Saturday.

Virginia Beach psychiatrist Dr. Waldo Ellison informed the board he was retiring on that day. He appeared in an informal hearing in September on allegations that he violated his duty as a doctor by failing to properly diagnose attention deficit disorders and monitor patients' use of Adderall, a stimulant that can become addictive if misused.

The doctor's case before the board involved several patients, but the one that received the most media attention, including a 2013 New York Times story, is that of Richard Fee, a 24-year-old Virginia Beach man who committed suicide in Norfolk in 2011.

An informal committee of the board had passed Ellison's case on to the full board to be considered for suspension or revocation. Instead, Ellison agreed to a consent order that was signed on Oct. 20 to end his practice on Saturday. He has begun informing his patients he is retiring.

The board of medicine considers his license suspended indefinitely on that date. If he wants to return to practice, he would have to wait at least 18 months and appear before the board to prove his competence to practice medicine.

Another Virginia Beach psychiatrist involved in Fee's treatment, Dr. Charles Parker, also went before a three-member panel of the board in September. The board issued Parker a reprimand and ordered him to take courses on medical record-keeping and proper prescription practices.
Rick and Kathy Fee, Richard Fee's parents, live in Virginia Beach and are trying to bring more attention to misdiagnosis of attention deficit disorders and overprescription of drugs such as Adderall.

They have filed a $2 million malpractice lawsuit against Ellison and Parker; trial is scheduled for July.