A 16-year-old boy was prescribed and pressured to take estrogen for treatment while he was in a Los Angeles County juvenile hall. His parents are now suing, alleging that they were never consulted or informed about the doctor’s decision.
Two days after being arrested and taken to Eastlake Juvenile Hall last June, the teenager referred to as “JN” in the lawsuit (his name is kept private because he is a minor) he was diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).
A youth center doctor prescribed estrogens as treatment for the disorder, although the lawsuit describes this plan as highly “experimental” since ODD is usually treated through therapy, and estrogen can have unintended consequences if given to a teenager whose hormone levels will already fluctuate.
Medical records show that the 16-year-old had high levels of testosterone when he entered the youth ward, but this would be typical of a man his age.
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After 13 doses of estrogen (he was supposed to receive 30), the boy was diagnosed with gynecomastia, which is inflammation or enlargement of the breast tissue in men when estrogen levels are too high. The condition sparked teasing from others in the youth facility and the teenager also experienced mood swings and pimple breakouts all over his body.
Despite being a minor, the boy’s parents state that not only were they never informed about estrogen treatment, but they were also not informed about any type of diagnosis of mental illness. The boy’s father discovered that his son was taking pills a month after he was incarcerated and was immediately enraged.
“When I found out he was being given the pill, I thought ‘why didn’t they ask me?'” he said. “He is only 16 years old and he was forced to take it.”
The boy claims that even he was not told what the medication was, but was informed that he could not refuse it and felt pressured by staff, including his own probation officer.
When asked if the doctor, Danny Wang, who prescribed the dubious treatment and made the original diagnosis, was still employed, a spokesman for the Department of Health Services said only that his current status is a “Confidential staff is important” The Los Angeles Times reported. Wang started working for the county in 2012.
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Wang and David Oh, medical director of Juvenile Court Health Services, are specifically named in the lawsuit, filed last month, as co-defendants, along with the county itself. According to the boy’s father, he spoke directly to Oh, who admitted that Wang made a “Error.”
Now, outside the youth ward starting in April, the teenager in the center of the debacle will require surgery to reverse the negative physical effects of the treatment. She is also said to suffer from anxiety. “He is like a different person” her father said.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to reinstate funding for the Parole Supervisory Commission (POC) last month over allegations that the system is over-medicating and diagnosing teens, meaning there is more oversight. on my way. In a 2015 study, it was found that more than 90 percent of children under the care of Los Angeles County probation supervision were diagnosed with a mental health problem, many of them “mood disorders” who were treated with medications.
Wesley Ouchi, the attorney representing the teen who prescribed estrogen, told WitnessLA that poor oversight in the system could mean that his lawsuit reveals that other teens received “experimental” treatments similar to those of his client, which he describes as “Potentially criminal”.
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