As a teenager in California in the late nineties, Meg struggled with severe bullying, an ADHD diagnosis, and undiagnosed autism. After ongoing issues, Meg was expelled from school at the young age of 15. Then Meg was abruptly flown across the country to a psychiatric hospital, followed by a behavioral modification program called Chrysalis, located in the American Northwest, where she spent the rest of her high school years.

Young Meg had become one of the 120,000–200,000 youths who are funneled into the lucrative Troubled Teen Industry every year. Over two decades later, Meg Appelgate has evolved into an advocate, activist, and passionate spokesperson for survivors across the United States.

In Becoming UNSILENCED, she details the institutional abuse she and her peers suffered, including:

• Cultural and physical isolation
• Medical misdiagnosis
• Being stripped of basic privileges
• Confusing and arbitrary rules
• A culture of victim-blaming
• The gaslighting of teens and parents
• Willful medical neglect for injuries and illness
• Covering up residential deaths as “accidental”
• And the ongoing negative effects of years of incarceration, intimidation, belittling, and brainwashing on survivors’ physical and mental health, relationships, education, and career prospects

Becoming UNSILENCED is a highly personal and invaluable first-hand account written for survivors and their parents, as well as for decision-makers and health professionals suggesting life- altering interventions for troubled teens.