You can't punish a child's mental health problems away.
By Alexander Stockton Video Journalist, Opinion |
When Jordan, who was 16 at the time, turned on her computer's camera for an interview with me last year, I was immediately struck by all the pink surrounding her. She was sitting in her bedroom in Austin, Texas, which was adorned with pink furniture and pink stuffed animals. The tableau exuded innocence and couldn't have been a greater contrast to the horrific story she was about to tell me. |
Jordan has struggled with depression, suicidal thoughts and an eating disorder. In January 2021, she was sent to a residential treatment facility to get help. But she told me the place did more harm than good: "I went there for treatment, and instead I was punished and treated like a criminal." |
She said she was deprived of sleep, food was withheld from her and she was emotionally abused. |
The facility Jordan attended is part of a shadowy network of behavior-modification programs that make up what is known as the troubled teen industry. Today, New York Times Opinion published my deep dive into this part of America's mental health care system, which treats thousands of kids every year. |
The industry purports to help children with complex psychological and behavioral issues, through a mix of therapy and tough love. Some kids claim it has helped them. But in my reporting I found that lax regulation, a focus on profit above all else and the use of archaic tactics is in some cases allowing punishment to be passed off as treatment and resulting in many children being abused. |
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After that initial conversation, I couldn't get Jordan out of my head. She and her family trusted the facility she went to with helping her. How could it get away with calling that "treatment"? |
I traveled to six states and interviewed more than 50 former patients and employees, experts, advocates, regulators, and legislators about this industry. I met with the hotel heiress Paris Hilton, who is a former patient turned activist and a champion of reform. And I also uncovered security camera footage from inside a facility that shows an employee assaulting a teenager. |
Many of the kids who've cycled through these programs don't call themselves former patients but survivors. This project bears witness to their tragic stories and calls on Congress to finally take action to reform this outdated industry. |
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