Meg Appelgate - Troubled Teen Industry Survivor Exposes Intermountain Hospital | SRS #296
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The Troubled Teen Industry (TTI) originated from Native American boarding schools, using similar behavior modification tactics.
- ❖Many TTI programs are religious 501c3s, granting them exemptions from licensing and less regulatory scrutiny.
- ❖Meg Applegate was abducted from her bed at 15 by 'transporters' hired by her parents, a common practice in the TTI.
- ❖Inter Mountain Hospital used 'random draw' and 'desk space' to strip away patient autonomy and heavily medicated children, leading to significant weight gain and disassociation.
- ❖Chrysalis, a therapeutic boarding school, fostered a 'cult-like' environment where girls were shamed in 'Circle' group therapy sessions and encouraged to report on peers.
- ❖Montana's TTI programs were overseen by the Department of Labor, not Health and Human Services, until 2019, leading to many facilities shutting down due to inability to meet health standards.
- ❖Parents are often deceived by TTI programs, receiving false reports of their child's progress while actual abuse occurs.
- ❖Meg's personal awakening to her abuse came years later, influenced by having her own children and Paris Hilton's documentary, 'This is Paris'.
- ❖Unsilenced.org provides an archive of over 3,500 TTI programs, a red flag list for parents, and an attorney directory for survivors seeking justice.
- ❖An estimated 150,000 to 200,000 children are placed in TTI facilities annually in the U.S.
Insights
1Origins and Regulatory Loopholes of the Troubled Teen Industry
The Troubled Teen Industry (TTI) traces its roots back to 19th-century Native American boarding schools, which aimed to assimilate children by stripping them of their culture through behavior modification. Today, many TTI programs operate as religious 501c3 non-profits, granting them exemptions from standard licensing and oversight. Historically, in states like Montana, these facilities were regulated by the Department of Labor, not Health and Human Services, leading to decades of unchecked practices. A 2019 law shift in Montana, moving oversight to HHS, caused 10 out of 19 programs to close because they couldn't meet basic health and safety standards.
Meg states the TTI started in the 1800s as Native American boarding schools (). She notes religious programs often have more severe abuse and are harder to hold accountable due to 501c3 exemptions (). The host and Meg discuss Montana's oversight by the Department of Labor until 2019, leading to many closures ().
2Abduction and Institutional Control at Inter Mountain Hospital
At age 15, Meg was forcibly taken from her home by two off-duty police officers, a common practice in the TTI, without her parents' prior knowledge or consent. She was flown to Inter Mountain Hospital in Boise, Idaho, where her autonomy was systematically dismantled. Methods included 'random draw' (a bag with nine 'no's and one 'yes' to determine participation in activities) and 'desk space' (being confined to a desk to write essays on 'thinking errors'). Patients were heavily medicated, often diagnosed with bipolar disorder within two days, leading to severe side effects like rapid weight gain and disassociation. The facility functioned like a prison, with magnetic locked doors, constant surveillance, and punitive measures like 'booty juice' (forced sedative injections) for misbehavior.
Meg describes being woken at 2 AM by strangers, her parents watching and crying, and being told, 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way' (). She details the flight to Boise, Idaho, and arrival at Inter Mountain Hospital (). She explains 'random draw' and 'desk space' () and the forced medication, including Cerakquil and Trilpt, leading to a 60-pound weight gain in six months (). She describes the 'quiet room' with straps and forced injections ().
3Chrysalis: A Cult-Like 'Therapeutic' Environment
After six months, Meg was transferred to Chrysalis, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Montana, where she spent three years. This program, run by a married couple (Kenny and Mary) who also served as therapists and lived with the 10 girls, fostered a 'Chrysalis family' dynamic. 'Circle' group therapy sessions involved hours of peer shaming and criticism, eroding self-confidence. Girls were taught to 'work the program' and seek the therapists' approval, creating a system of learned helplessness and dependence. The program extended its control outside the facility, dictating behavior at public high school and during home visits, with strict rules and constant monitoring.
Meg details Chrysalis being a small program with 10 girls, run by a married couple (Kenny and Mary) in a log cabin in rural Montana (). She describes 'Circle' group therapy sessions lasting 2-4 hours, involving peer criticism and shaming (). She recounts Kenny's physical displays of approval (squeezing neck/knee) and verbal abuse (calling her a 'pig') (). Meg explains how program rules extended to public school and home visits, with severe consequences for non-compliance ().
4Long-Term Trauma and the Path to Advocacy
The TTI experience left Meg with profound long-term trauma, including abandonment issues, a tendency to seek out abusive relationships, and severe health problems (12 surgeries, organ loss) linked to chronic stress. She struggled to recognize the abuse for years due to the brainwashing, only fully 'waking up' after having her own children and seeing Paris Hilton's documentary, 'This is Paris'. This realization, coupled with her husband's own experience with institutional abuse, propelled her to found Unsilenced, a non-profit dedicated to exposing the TTI, advocating for federal regulation, and supporting survivors. Unsilenced provides a comprehensive program archive, legal assistance, and support groups.
Meg discusses her abandonment issues stemming from adoption and TTI (). She describes seeking out abusive relationships, mimicking Kenny's behavior (). She details numerous health issues, including 12 surgeries and organ loss, which resolved after confronting her trauma (). Her 'wake-up' moments included suicides of program friends and Paris Hilton's documentary (). She founded Unsilenced after her husband's institutional abuse experience (). Meg details Unsilenced's resources: program archive, attorney directory, support groups, and independence packs ().
Lessons
- Parents considering TTI programs should visit unsilenced.org to check the program archive, review the 'red flag' list, and access information about potential abuses and lawsuits.
- Support Unsilenced.org through donations to help fund their advocacy, survivor support groups, legal assistance, and independence packs for kids aging out of programs.
- Advocate for federal regulation of the Troubled Teen Industry by contacting lawmakers and supporting organizations like Unsilenced and Paris Hilton's policy team, especially if you are a survivor from a state where legislation is being considered.
Quotes
"If you add religious religion into that institution, it makes it even more likely that they are using that as a cover up and we see that within the trouble teen industry too."
"It's almost always going to be recommended after that time that they need secondary care and that they get sent to and then a list of referrals that they probably get kickbacks on on these therapeutic boarding schools. So, it's definitely a pipeline into it."
"They thought that Meg has an issue with control. Let's make sure Meg knows that she doesn't control anything in her life. Let's take away all of her ability to make decisions and make it up to chance."
"I was told for four years I was a I was an alcoholic and I was an addict. And so, I had to go to meetings. I had to have a sponsor. I had to work the steps. And, you know, it didn't take long for me to realize like I'm not I'm not an addict, but I had to play the part."
"I remember feeling so much shame. And my response on that email, you're right. I'm so sorry. I knew it was a bad thing to do and I'm going to turn my life around. You're right. Because if you did any drugs, like if you had smoked pot once and you went to crystis, you're in a aaa every week. NA every week."
"I want to be what the kids in the facility need and who I needed when I was there. Hope um and purpose knowing there's a life after the pain that they're in right now. And that's when I made the decision that I wanted to do something about it."
Q&A
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