Soldiers from Ohio and other areas of the United States risk their lives to protect the country they love. They are heroes to friends and family, but it comes at a cost. Many military personnel come home and face physical and mental challenges after what they have experienced abroad. One Ohio man took his life in 2009 while under the care of two doctors, and his parents are now suing for medical malpractice and wrongful death.
The 25-year-old man returned home after serving in Iraq. He sought care at a veteran's clinic for a brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. He left the clinic and began seeing two doctors to treat his back pain, anxiety and depression. The doctors prescribed medication for the man's anxiety, depression and back pain, but no other treatment was ordered. The man's parents are questioning this form of treatment, but the Department of Veterans Affairs said that the man was at high risk of committing suicide. The trial is still underway.
Did the doctors' actions cause the man's death? This situation is different from typical medical malpractice situations in which a surgery goes wrong or a medical condition goes misdiagnosed. The man's conditions were known and the doctors were attempting to treat them. The doctors did not directly kill the man, but were they negligent?
For the most part, mental conditions such as anxiety and depression are managed with medications. Counseling and therapy are also used, but some patients are not receptive to these methods. Not all patients respond similarly to the same treatment. Perhaps that is something that medical experts, judges and juries will need to take into consideration in wrongful death and medical malpractice cases such as these.
Source: WFMJ, "Veterans family suing their late sons doctors for wrongful death and medical malpractice," Lindsay McCoy, Jan. 14, 2013
No Comments