That is one aspect of programs that has always bothered me. How does one know whether the kid you put there is going to be the one who uses any means necessary in order to get out? What is mental illness really, if a kid never thinks about suicide in their life before, but then locked up in a stressful environment suddenly it's a good idea, does that make them mentally ill? I don't know how to answer that question. My point being, unless a kid takes drastic action, they will be sent to wilderness. They know this, which, in my opinion, can seriously complicate things. That is why forced treatment is always risky, no matter how reasonable the child might seem. How far will a kid go in order to make their point? The answer to that is all the way, kids will go all the way to make their point, as far as they have to. So when programs say that kids with serious psychological problems will be sent to a psych hospital and has plans to escape, suddenly the idea of atempting suicide, or stabbing another student become a good idea. The more kids who try these things, the higher the bar gets with the program staff, and eventually they think every kid is faking it, even if their not. That leads to lots of psychologically damaged kids being treated as "manipulators", a culture where psychological problems do not even exist. I am not saying this happens at Carlbrook, but I have seen some variance of this at every forced treatment facility I have been at. When there is only one way to escape, someone is going to try it, eventually. Parents should realize it could be their kid who does it, and should know the risks and how ridiculous a situation can become when involved ina cult like group of people and the only person you can trust is yourself.
