This story is far worse that you realize:
Do you know the reason
why Justina Pelletier was taken away from her parents, and kept in custody as a ward of state by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) for 16 months?
Justina had been diagnosed with a genetic
mitochondrial disease one year earlier, and was being treated for this disease by one of the leading experts in the field, Dr Mark Korson, at Tufts Medical Center.
However, when she arrived in Boston Children’s Hospital,
a doctor inexplicably changed Justina's diagnosis from a mitochondrial disease to a SOMATOFORM DISORDER, and changed Justina’s treatment from physical to mental.
When Justina's parents tried to discharge their daughter the following day, and return her to care at Tufts Medical Center, they were refused, and Justina was taken away by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families who moved Justina to a psychiatric ward, where she remained for 11 months.
Psychologist Dr Simona Bujoreanu then
approved the somatoform diagnosis after only 25 minutes with Justina, without consulting other doctors.
After this, Justina was subject to research being performed upon her without consent, because the law allows such research on any ward of the state, even if that research is not primarily for the person's benefit.
Sounds to me as if they gave the somatoform diagnosis just in order to capture another human guinea pig for their research.
This shows that the completely
unscientific notion of a somatoform disorder is still causing grievous trouble for sick patients. This incorrect concept of a somatoform condition clearly leads to abuse of patients by psychologists and psychiatrists.
We need to do more to make people realize that this utterly unscientific notion of a somatoform disorder causes severe trouble in the medical profession. Somatoform disorders must be abolished from the medical lexicon.
Source of above:
‘Justina’s Law’ introduced in wake of Pelletier nightmare
Note that
this article gives a slightly different account, in which it was pediatrician Dr Alice Newton who made the diagnosis of somatoform disorder.
There are also two articles in the Daily Mail on Justina's story:
Pictured: The shocking decline of 15-year-old girl 'kidnapped' by doctors nine months ago who her parents claim are using her as a 'guinea pig for medical experiments' 25 November 2013
Home at last: Justina Pelletier pictured as she leaves state custody after 16-month battle between her parents and doctors 18 June 2014
I wonder if the Justina's family is considering suing Dr Simona Bujoreanu or Dr Alice Newton for medical malpractice? They certainly ought to. Some of us should write to the family, and offer sympathy, advice and some background info on this dire abomination and blatantly wrong concept of a somatoform disorder.