October 17, 2000

J. Leonard Henderson

403 West Hwy 82

Wallowa, OR 97885

Wallowa County Juvenile Department

107 N. River Street, Suite C 

Enterprise, OR  97828

Attn: John Lawrence

RE: Philip Henderson

Dear John,

I have truly come to appreciate your presence at Wallowa County Juvenile. In our experience with public agencies since Philip’s behavior obtained a significant level of dangerousness in 1997, you are the first person in Wallowa County to demonstrate common sense and fairness.

Beginning with our first pleas for help in 1997, Joanna and especially I have been treated prejudicially, suspect as THE CAUSE, and subjected to a SOSCF investigation based on a completely spurious “diagnosis” of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

After SOSCF’s unwarranted attempt to destroy my life, I meticulously isolated myself from any of Philips’ “issues”. I have gone to great lengths to make sure MY NAME appears NOWHERE in any reports or appraisals of Philip. This was completely necessary to refocus official attention from the normal “Parent Blaming” and make Philip’s behaviors his own responsibility.

Dr. Terry Trudel did concur in September 1999 that he disagreed with the practice of parent blaming instead of holding the teenager responsible for his actions. Philip’s “empowerment” by SOSCF proved to be a highly significant undermining of our parental authority, and of Philip’s attitude toward all authority.

I believe it is obvious to everybody who has been involved with Philip this past year that parenting Philip would require considerably more than average attention. It is probably also obvious that parenting Philip would require a more aggressive parenting style than normal children.

I would like independent confirmation that Philip’s behavior has always been his own issue and that my parenting technique was a heroic example of self-control. The SOSCF, even though they closed my case, still have in their records, a BOGUS “founded” finding of “mental injury”. I want exoneration and have my records at SOSCF expunged. Previous cases of innuendo, allusion, and untruth in SOSCF records are their primary evidence in launching future cases of innuendo, allusion, and untruth.

Stephanie Williams and Molly Rogers “abuse” attitude in started at the very first CRT meeting because I did not know the clinical words “enuresis” and “encopresis” when asked to detail some of Philip’s “issues” and used common language terms instead.

Leonard Henderson Letter, Page 2

From the very start, the Juvenile Department and SOSCF “second guessed”, disparaged, and discarded our, the Parent’s lifetime experience with Philip, and the medications that our Medical doctor have found effective to “control” Philip’s behavior.

We have found that Zyprexa DOES control Philip’s aggressive behavior. We know from years of experience managing the Manic-Depressive malady of Philip’s mother that Zyprexa seems to have NO OTHER undesirable side effect than WEIGHT GAIN. We have noted that anytime Philip goes to State custody that the Zyprexa is apparently withheld from him.

Please note: Neither Joanna or I claim that Zyprexa “fixes” or “cures” Philip. I could be well said that the medication “masks” the underlying condition. Joanna’s underlying SEVERE condition of Manic-Depression could be said to be “masked” by Lithium and an anti-psychotic. But medication does ENABLE her to lead a fairly normal, productive life. In Philip’s instance, an anti-psychotic does control the dangerous aggressiveness, but what’s left is lazy, lethargic, and unmotivated. This could be a combination of heredity (since these traits describe Philip’s biological father) and the general attitude of a majority of today’s American youth.

Joanna is extremely concerned that Philip is on a “fast track” to lifetime incarceration.

She knows from her own experience that without her diagnosis of Manic Depression at the age of 26 and suitable medication, that she would quite surely have spent the past 20 years institutionalized- or dead.

Joanna, as a loving mother deeply concerned about her son’s future, desires that Philip have some considerable psychological examination, including an MRI, looking for a deformed temporal lobe. Joanna believes that Philip has exactly the same malady as she does. She does accurately cite the various levels of psychosis or “eccentric” behavior found in her siblings and prior generations.

The problem with finding a genuine diagnosis is the semantics, definitions, politics, motive, agenda, and life-view of various psychologists and agencies involved.

From the DSM-IV comes a mass of over-lapping New-Age “disorder” and “syndrome” diagnoses for children, any of which somewhat describes Philip’s behavior:

• 314.9 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder NOS
• 312.8 Conduct Disorder
• 313.81 Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• 312.9 Disruptive Behavior Disorder NOS
• 309.21 Separation Anxiety Disorder
• 313.23 Selective Mutism
• 313.89 Reactive Attachment Disorder
• 309.81 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Additional Conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention

V71.02 Child or Adolescent Antisocial Behavior

Leonard Henderson, Page 3

Based on our recent experience with State-employed psychologists Dr. Ida Pacheco and Dr. Conant-Norville, whose opinions were highly biased toward SOSCF’s desire to fabricate an abuse case, we find psychological examinations can be entirely subjective and the “diagnosis” may be whatever the person who signs the check WANTS IT TO BE. Yes, we do cast significant doubt on their ethics.

The only honest, REAL PSYCHOLOGIST we encountered last year was Dr. Terry Trudel. But we sensed that he felt quite inhibited in being able to express his TRUE OPINION.

As Philip’s “Daddy” since 1987, having been constrained from issuing corporeal punishment during my entire tenure, I am quite interested in how Philip reacted and responded to the severe control he experienced at the Oregon National Guard “Boot Camp”. From my own experience in exerting a “military style” level of supervision over him after a substantial theft or other serious offense, I observed grudging compliance. Based on my experience with mentally unstable individuals, this kind of supervision and control would cause a highly significant episode of rebellion. Philip complied, but made SNEAKY PLANS to circumvent observation.

I still believe he is capable of a QUANTUM SHIFT in attitude. He has GOTTEN AWAY with every infraction, offense, and behavior event with absolutely NO SIGNIFICANT repercussions until this summer. He has been handled with “kid gloves”, babied, made to be the “victim” instead of the ABUSER. He has been “empowered” and “given the green light” to continue his behavior by SOSCF. He has received a long series of impotent “punishments” and “easy-outs’.

I would be quite interested in how Philip reacts to what apparently is REAL INCARCERATION-- If this facility is REAL STEEL BAR CAGES, with none of the LUXURIOUS AMMENITIES he imagines prison to be (unlimited TV or rotten movies). This spring he told his mother that he wanted to spend the rest of his life in prison because they wouldn’t make him do anything and he could just watch TV.

If this facility is “warm and fuzzy” instead of harsh and desolate, once again, he will learn nothing.

I believe that a significantly unpleasant incarceration situation could be worthwhile if it succeeded in creating a permanent paradigm shift in his perspective. In bygone days, this was accomplished with a tour in the military where attitude shifts were compelled.

Should we find that no amount of available corporeal punishment accomplishes the goal, the psychiatric avenue may be the best option. There could be a problem beyond-- “Philip doesn’t want- or have to- behave himself”.

My foremost concern is that without soon seeing some successes, Philip’s future is dark.

Sincerely,

J. Leonard Henderson