Adam Lanza’s Psychiatrist’s Ethics Violations Raise Questions About the Legislature’s Controversial Mental Health Increases

[UnfoldingSky]

http://www.madinamerica.com/2014/05/adam-lanzas-psychiatrists-ethics-violations-raise-questions-legislatures-controversial-mental-health-increases/

Sheila Matthews

May 15, 2014

 

One has to wonder. 

 

If the State legislature had been aware of the details of the investigation into Adam Lanza’s psychiatrist, Dr. Paul Fox, prior to passing sweeping, costly mental health legislation, PA 13-3, would the vote have gone the same direction?

 

Let’s consider for a moment the facts of Dr. Fox’s surrender of his license to practice medicine in not only Connecticut but, also, New York.  Ablechild recently requested and received the publicly available investigative file on the circumstances surrounding Adam Lanza’s psychiatrist’s fall from psychiatric grace and, perhaps, his decision to flee the country.

 

The State Department of Public Health received a complaint about Dr. Fox from Yale New Haven Hospital in March of 2012.  A female patient of Dr. Fox had reported detailed information about a “consensual” sexual relationship with Dr. Fox and, by April of 2012, the State Department of Public Health had begun its investigation.

 

The investigative documents are, in a word, sickening.  The 59-year old Fox had engaged in a sexual relationship with a 19-year old patient he supposedly was “treating” for mental illness.  Dr. Fox had become the patient’s counselor while employed at Western Connecticut State University Counseling Center and when fired from the University for “ethics” violations, continued to “treat” the patient at his Brookfield office.

 

In substantiating the sexual relationship, the patient provided detailed documentation, including an inordinate number of written references by Dr. Fox about his private parts, and information about other female patients that reportedly had sexual relationships with the psychiatrist – one threatening to bring a malpractice suit against him.  Given the psychiatrist’s apparent proclivity for being sexually active with his female patients, one can only surmise he may qualify as a serial sexual predator.

 

More importantly, during Dr. Fox’s “treatment” of this 19-year old patient, he not only was prescribing numerous – “three or four” – psychiatric mind-altering drugs, but also was providing the patient with free drug samples (page 69 of report).  According to the patient’s mother, “she was turning into a zombie.”

 

Dr. Fox billed the mother’s insurance for the patient’s drug “treatment,” but when the psychiatrist and the patient “became friends” Fox no longer billed for “counseling services.”(page 68 of report)

 

The “consensual sexual relationship” between a 59-year old doctor and 19-year old patient lasted about two years, with the good doctor ending with a note saying “please don’t contact me.”  Absolutely pathetic!

 

But why is this investigation of Dr. Fox important and what does it have to do with Adam Lanza and the State’s rush to institute increased mental health services?

 

First, this investigation raises red flags about the public’s right to know when doctors/psychiatrists are fired for “ethics” violations from a State University, tasked with providing mental health services for teenagers.  Furthermore, was Western Connecticut State University aware of Dr. Fox’s sexual relationships with students at the university and, if so, did the university file a report with the Department of Public Health or any state oversight agency?

 

Additionally, on December 17, 2012 (three days after the Sandy Hook incident) police conducted a telephone interview with Dr. Fox, who is living in New Zealand, inquiring about his “treatment ” of Adam Lanza and the whereabouts of the doctor’s mental health records.  (Investigation document 00260339 -Book 7)

 

Dr. Fox, advised police that he “vaguely recalls treating Adam Lanza.”  Dr. Fox further advised that the only records he had in New Zealand were billing records and explained that “all of his medical records pertaining to clients he treated in the United States are currently in storage in the United States.”

 

Twenty-four hours later, Dr. Fox, contacted police, explaining “any medical records pertaining to Adam Lanza have been destroyed since it has been over five years since he last treated him (per state statute he is allowed to destroy any files over 5 years old).”  Dr. Fox further explained that “Adam was about 15 years of age when he last saw him.”

 

If Dr. Fox last saw Adam Lanza in 2007, his medical record retention, according to the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies Medical Records 19a-14-42, “unless specified otherwise herein, all parts of a medical record shall be retained for a period of seven (7) years from the last date of treatment, or, upon the death of the patient, for three (3) years.”

 

More at above link...

 

(passage in bold is my emphasis)

[UnfoldingSky]

For those who are not aware, the reason it is crucial that Lanza's notes be made public is that psych drugs themselves have been linked to violent behavior.

 

In Canada on SSRIs there are warnings they can cause violent behavior.

 

"There are clinical and post-marketing with SSRIs and other newer antidepressants, in both pediatrics and adults, of severe agitation-type adverse events coupled with self-harm or harm to others."  -taken from the Prozac drug monograph available on the Health Canada website available here:

 

http://webprod5.hc-sc.gc.ca/dpd-bdpp/info.do?code=13723〈=eng

[Altostrata]

Aside from the sexual misconduct, this psychiatrist sure sounds like one of those who are drug idiots.

[UnfoldingSky]

He sounds really very incompetent.

[Meimeiquest]

What most bothers me is that, if I understood correctly, after they got his toxicology report, it was decided not to release it to the public because it might affect people taking psych drugs.

[compsports]

What most bothers me is that, if I understood correctly, after they got his toxicology report, it was decided not to release it to the public because it might affect people taking psych drugs.

That bothered me too as this never would have happened if his toxicology report had contained damaging side effects from non psych drugs.   But of course, folks with an "MI" label are totally expendible. 

[UnfoldingSky]

It's a pretty silly argument as obviously by saying that people would have reason to suspect something happened because of the drugs, which then might lead them to stop them anyway.

 

I've read there is evidence that came from other people that he had signs of adverse reactions to drugs. 

 

Also, as someone pointed out on that thread, how do we know he didn't abuse Lanza?  Given his ethics violations should he not be in some kind of trouble for destroying those records?