Mental health industry watchdog, CCHR, calls for increased legal action to protect vulnerable youth from abuses in psychiatric facilities.

By: Jan Eastgate
President CCHR International
August 30, 2024

Citizens Commission on Human Rights International welcomes the increasing numbers of attorneys representing survivors of the troubled teen treatment industry, seeking justice for the abuse many have suffered in behavioral hospitals. On August 27, three Alabama law firms filed a lawsuit against Brighter Path Tuskegee, formerly Sequel Tuskegee, which details the severe physical and emotional abuse inflicted on a 17-year-old boy, identified as “M.C.,” while he was a resident at the youth facility in 2023.[1]

“What M.C. endured is a betrayal of trust, and we are committed to seeking justice on his behalf,” attorney Tommy James said, adding, “No child should endure what this child and others have faced at this facility. The conditions and treatment are horrendous, and those responsible must be held accountable. It is heartbreaking and enraging to see children subjected to such inhumane treatment.”

A recent U.S. Finance Committee report “Warehouses of Neglect: How Taxpayers Are Funding Systemic Abuse in Youth Residential Treatment Facilities” (RTFs) noted how widespread this type of abuse is, reporting: “Children, entrusted to the care of behavioral health providers, are routinely subjected to the risk of abuse….” In the worst of circumstances, children at RTFs suffer from “sexual, physical, verbal, or emotional abuse at the hands of staff. Mistreatment is endemic to the conditions at RTFs.”[2] The Senate investigation included facilities owned by Universal Health Services, Acadia Healthcare and Sequel (now called Vivant).

As testimony to this, since the report’s release, a behavioral health associate at Piney Ridge Treatment Center in Arkansas, owned by Acadia, was arrested and charged in August with sexual indecency with a child treated at the facility.[3] A lawsuit was filed against an Acadia-owned Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center in Illinois alleging that a staff member repeatedly raped a 24-year-old patient. Another former counselor is facing 62 charges relating to criminal sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse from December 2017 to June 2018 in six cases in total.[4] Moreover, Acadia is paying a$400 million settlement in New Mexico related to children placed in a foster care setting where they were repeatedly sexually abused.[5]

The abuses may be far greater. While the Senate report does not specify how many adolescents are subjected to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), it’s known that three of the investigated hospital chains deliver it. For instance, at least three Universal Health Services (UHS) psychiatric hospitals downplay the risks of ECT while promoting unproven and potentially deceptive theories. As of 2018, UHS’s River Point Behavioral Health in Florida conducts 900-1,000 ECT treatments annually and claims that the 460 volts of electricity delivered through the body is safe.[6]

Such claims of “safety” are particularly concerning when considering the financial incentives tied to ECT. The adverse effects of ECT can prolong the length of a hospital stay; thus, its delivery can increase profits.[7] The Senate report addresses how “At its core, the RTF model typically optimizes profit over the wellbeing and safety of children. The rampant civil rights violations that children experience in RTFs are a direct consequence of the industry’s model.”[8]

ECT continues to be administered despite the World Health Organization (WHO) recommending it be banned for use in children. Acadia Healthcare, however, openly admits to offering ECT for pediatric and adolescent patients.[9] Trust Point Hospital in Tennessee, owned by Acadia Healthcare, misleadingly claims on its website that ECT induces a “minor seizure that can help the brain reset itself….” and “modifies the neural circuitry and chemistry of the brain.”[10] However, no clinical trials exist to substantiate these claims.

Furthermore, the site falsely claims that ECT does not erase memories and blames any “brief memory impairment” on the anesthesia used to administer ECT, which “often returns over time.”[11] But experts clearly link the memory loss to the electroshock.

John Read, Ph.D., who has researched the impact of ECT in many studies, points out that in 2023, the WHO and United Nations said, “ECT is not recommended for children, and this should be prohibited through legislation.” Yet, he adds, “ECT is still being used on children and adolescents” and it is “probable that developing brains are particularly susceptible to the memory loss caused by ECT.” Amongst ECT’s many adverse effects, he wrote, “is the long-term memory loss found in between 12 and 55 percent of patients. The American Psychiatric Association admits that ‘ECT can result in persistent or permanent memory loss.’”[12]

In a recent landmark decision, the California Supreme Court says there are serious risks from ECT like memory loss and brain damage. The court’s decision emphasized that patients have the right to be fully informed about the risks of their treatments, and ECT device manufacturers can be held accountable for failing to disclose these risks.[13]

The troubling association between ECT and brain damage is further compounded by dozens of lawsuits that have been filed across the United States by survivors harmed by electroshock devices. ECT and brain damage have been inextricably linked since their inception, according to one Los Angeles law firm. It cites the textbook “Preventable Brain Damage” which references different types of studies that have shown brain damage resulting from ECT.[14]

Adding to this concern, youths in residential treatment facilities are also at risk from psychotropic drugs. The Senate report reveals that many children are subjected to polypharmacy, including antidepressants that the FDA warns can increase the risk of suicide in those aged 24 and younger. When these antidepressants fail, ECT is often recommended, despite studies suggesting it does not prevent suicide and may even increase the likelihood of suicide by 44 times compared to the general population.[15]

More lawsuits are needed to help protect troubled youths from not only sexual and physical abuse, including restraint use in residential facilities, in-patient behavioral hospitals and youth “wilderness camps,” but also the prescribed treatments they are given.  

CCHR calls for urgent and comprehensive action to protect vulnerable youth from pervasive abuses within psychiatric facilities. It urges increased legal scrutiny and accountability for institutions that administer harmful treatments, such as electroshock and psychotropic drugs. The organization advocates for legislative measures to prevent the exploitation and mistreatment of children in these settings and calls on lawmakers, legal professionals, and the public to join in the fight for justice and reform.

For those affected, CCHR offers a reporting form on its website where patients can confidentially REPORT ABUSE.

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[1] “Alabama youth home staff instigated fights, gambled with residents as teen was brutalized, lawsuit claims,” AOL.com, 27 Aug 2024, updated 28 Aug, https://www.al.com/news/2024/08/alabama-youth-home-staff-instigated-fights-gambled-with-residents-as-teen-was-brutalized-lawsuit-claims.html

[2] Senate Finance Committee Staff Report, “Warehouses of Neglect: How Taxpayers Are Funding Systemic Abuse in Youth Residential Treatment Facilities,” 12 June 2024, p. 11, https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/sfc_report_warehouses_of_neglect.pdf

[3] “Employee at Arkansas behavioral treatment center accused of inappropriate relationship with child,” 5newsonline.com, 20 Aug. 2024, https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/crime/employee-arkansas-behavioral-treatment-center-inappropriate-relationship-child/527-b39d3a0b-897d-4efb-b5a2-952792ba4dfb

[4] “Timberline Knolls Staffer Sexually Assaulted Patient, Lawsuit Alleges,” Patch.com, 21 Aug. 2024, https://patch.com/illinois/lemont/timberline-knolls-staffer-sexually-assaulted-patient-lawsuit-alleges

[5] “Dem Candidate Lobbies For Healthcare Company Found to ‘Put Profits Ahead of Children’s Safety’” Nevada Globe, 12 Aug 2024, https://thenevadaglobe.com/articles/dem-candidate-lobbies-for-healthcare-company-found-to-put-profits-ahead-of-childrens-safety/; https://www.beckersbehavioralhealth.com/behavioral-health-news/acadia-healthcare-pays-400m-to-settle-sexual-abuse-cases.html

[6] CCHR White Paper, CHILD RAPES, SUICIDES, DEATHS, AND HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN HEALTHCARE FRAUD IN THE FOR-PROFIT BEHAVIORAL INDUSTRY—Restoring Effective & Accountable Oversight: What is Needed, Dec. 2018, https://www.cchrint.org/pdfs/healthcare-fraud-by-the-for-profit-behavioral-industry.pdf  

[7] Draper B, Luscombe G., “Quantification of factors contributing to length of stay in an acute psychogeriatric ward,” International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 1998; 13:1–7

[8] Senate Finance Committee Staff Report, p. 11

[9] https://www.acadiahealthcare.com/locations/east-tennessee-behavioral-health/; https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/acadia-and-geisinger-break-ground-on-danville-behavioural-hospital/ar-BB1m2Hoc

[10] https://mergr.com/company/trustpoint-hospital; https://www.trustpointhospital.com/programs/ect/

[11] https://www.trustpointhospital.com/programs/ect/

[12] John Read, Ph.D., “Is It Time to Ban Electroconvulsive Therapy for Children?” Psychology Today, 17 Nov. 2023, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychiatry-through-the-looking-glass/202311/is-it-time-to-ban-electroconvulsive-therapy-for

[13] https://www.freedommag.org/blog/california-supreme-court-says-no-electroshock-without-informed-consent-in-major-patient-victory-c5d678 “Wisner Baum Prevails in Landmark Win for Patient Autonomy in CA Supreme Court Ruling,” Wisner Baum law firm, 20 June 2024, https://www.wisnerbaum.com/blog/2024/june/wisner-baum-prevails-in-landmark-win-for-patient/

[14] https://www.wisnerbaum.com/defective-medical-device-injuries/ect/

[15] https://www.cchrint.org/2024/08/23/the-collapse-of-electroshock/; Anders Spanggård, Christopher Rohde, Søren Dinesen Østergaard, “Risk factors for suicide among patients having received treatment with electroconvulsive therapy: A nationwide study of 11,780 patients,” Acta Psychiatria Scandinavia, 29 January 2023, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/acps.13536