Authorities in Pennsylvania removed children and made arrests based on findings by a doctor who specialized in identifying child abuse. But critics say she was too eager to diagnose abuse when none had occurred.
An official in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley made a troubling discovery about the county’s Office of Youth Services. Workers were taking action against a large number of families based on the diagnosis of a hospital specialist…diagnoses that were frequently proven wrong. He argued money was wasted and lives were destroyed by an overabundance of caution from one doctor. Dr. Debra Jenssen made a career in multiple states finding signs of abuse others hadn’t found, and strong-arming authorities to take action against unsuspecting caretakers. Parents, social workers - and even judges - claimed the specialist too often misdiagnosed illness or accident as trauma, rejected contrary evidence, and upended families in a misguided effort to protect children.
The podcast “The Preventionist” from Serial Productions and The New York Times explores the rise of a powerful new field in medicine and the consequences of its “better safe than sorry” application by one doctor. Host Dyan Neary also highlights the story of a family trying to piece itself together after authorities took action on a questionable diagnosis of child abuse.
OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE PREVENTIONIST" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.