What Happened
Richard Fee was a student-athlete who enjoyed a full scholarship to college. He aspired to go to medical school; his future was bright and full of promise. Unfortunately, that bright future was extinguished by, what appears to be, a misdiagnosis of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and being prescribed Adderall by a doctor in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA).
After securing the Adderall prescription, Mr. Fee began taking larger doses of Adderall. As his addiction grew stronger, the side effect became more prominent. He developed difficulty sleeping. He became paranoid. His father stated that “he became a different person.” Sadly, Mr. Fee took his own life at the far-too-young age of 24.
Below is a video of Mr. Fee’s family being interviewed by Matt Lauer of NBC’s Today Show:
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The Virginia Injury Lawyers’ Perspective
This is such a sad story and my heart goes out to the Fee family. What’s truly shocking is that members of Mr. Fee’s family went to his doctors to express their concerns about what was happening to Richard. The doctors did nothing. In fact, after the family expressed their concerns, Richard’s Adderall prescription was actually increased.
Any individual or family experiencing circumstances similar to these should consider speaking to a Virginia medical malpractice attorney to see what legal options are available to them. A case of this nature is certainly complex and many legal issues need to be addressed such as – what analysis was done to arrive at the medical conclusion that Richard Fee actually suffered from ADHD? Why was his prescription dose of Adderall increased, even after his doctor was made aware that he may be suffering from adverse side effects? What follow up steps were taken after the prescription of Adderall was made? These questions remain unanswered.