I bought this book after reading this Cracked article on the troubled-teen industry, wilderness camps and faux therapeutic facilities that ostensibly help rehabilitate teens with drug problems, eating disorders, behavioral problems, and a whole host of other problems parents might find troubling in their teenaged children. In reality, as Szalavitz reveals, many of these programs have no licensed therapists on staff and are usually run by teenagers themselves, totally unequipped to deal with addiction, and there have been a number of suspicious deaths from the children in their care.
This was definitely not a fun read, but it was engrossing and informative. The individual accounts of the kids that Szalavitz provides are harrowing, especially the long-lasting effects of the therapy/brainwashing. It's incredible that this industry has been allowed to operate under so little regulation for so long, and hopefully by bringing more attention to these programs books like these can help to change that.
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