Recognizing Mistreatment
in Adolescent Mental Health Treatment
In 2023, over 20% of teens between the ages of 12 and 17 had a current diagnosed mental health or behavioral health condition¹. This means that more than 5.3 million teens needed mental health care, and we can expect those statistics to have risen since. As a parent, you only want the best care for your child. This means finding care facilities that honor teen patient rights in mental health treatment programs and recognizing clinical negligence in teen therapy.
Noticing teen psychiatric malpractice signs when your teen is in care can be overwhelming. Adolescent mental health mistreatment is uncomfortable to address, but parents should be fully aware of teen therapy abuse warning signs. They may also need to know how to go about reporting mistreatment in therapy the right way before their child is admitted.
At Mission Prep, we take the clinical standards for adolescent mental health seriously and commit ourselves to ensuring ethical treatment for teen mental health at every step of the process. The first step towards doing this is to ensure that all parents understand teen patient rights in mental health treatment before admission. It’s also good to know when to seek legal help for mental health issues. This article can help by discussing:
- What mistreatment in adolescent mental health care is
- How to recognize mistreatment in adolescent mental health care
- Mental health patient rights for teens
- How to report mistreatment in teen mental health care
- Ways to empower teens to speak up about their care
- Where to find help for protecting teens from harmful mental health practices
What Is Mistreatment in Adolescent Mental Health Care?
Identifying unethical teen mental health care isn’t always straightforward. Mistreatment in adolescent mental health treatment includes any action or inaction that:
- Causes harm or injury
- Doesn’t adhere to the clinical standards for adolescent mental health
- Disregards legal protections for teen psychiatric patients
- Overlooks teen safety or well-being during treatment
Teen mistreatment during care can be physical, emotional, psychological, or even systemic.
Some examples of mistreatment include:
- Using unnecessary force when restraining a patient
- Overlooking the signs of trauma and distress
- Isolating a teen during treatment
- Not providing appropriate medical or psychological care
- Verbal abuse or humiliation of a teen patient
- Denying the patient’s basic rights (privacy, access to support systems, and participation in their own treatment plan)
Holding mental health providers accountable in these instances is essential.
However, it’s important to note that most mental health professionals are deeply committed to providing ethical and safe care – but sometimes mistakes and misconduct happen. Therefore, recognizing harmful therapy practices is an important part of getting your child the care they need.
Recognizing Mistreatment in Adolescent Mental Health Treatment
Mistreatment isn’t always obvious. And it can be overlooked, especially when parents aren’t consistently present during treatment. Mistreatment may not look the same as typical abuse. Some signs are subtle, and others may be put down to the teen’s mental health symptoms rather than to the treatment itself.
Common signs of mistreatment include:
- Sudden changes in behavior after starting treatment, such as signs of fear, silence, or agitation when discussing the facility or staff
- Lack of communication from the treatment team or denial of the teen’s right to speak privately with their parents or mental health advocate
- The teen mentioning that staff have been aggressive or dismissive in their approach to care
- Inconsistent or inadequate documentation around incidents, medications, or treatment plans
If something feels off, it’s important to trust your instincts and investigate further. A supportive treatment center should be transparent, communicative, and open to discussing your concerns.
Teen Therapy Abuse: Warning Signs to Watch For
Warning signs of potential abuse include:
Being manipulative or threatening, such as saying, “If you don’t behave, you’ll never go home,” or “No one believes you”- Staff members shaming, mocking, or invalidating responses when a teen shares feelings or experiences
- Isolating or restraining a teen unnecessarily, especially as a first response to emotional distress rather than a last resort
- Inappropriate boundaries or conduct, including favoritism, secrecy, or physical contact that doesn’t follow ethical guidelines
If your teen says that something doesn’t feel right, it’s important to listen to them and seek clarification. Even if they can’t articulate the problem fully, ongoing fear, dread, or distrust of their therapist may be a red flag worth investigating.
Recognizing Clinical Negligence in Teen Therapy
Mistreatment in therapy doesn’t always look like physical abuse. It could also mean that a mental health professional acted or didn’t act in a way that caused some form of harm to the patient. Overt abuse isn’t always part of the process.
Failing to meet the expected standard of care can indicate clinical negligence and include:
Overlooking serious symptoms like suicidal thoughts, self-harm, and psychosis
Failing to create or follow a treatment plan or adjust the plan as the teen’s needs change
Improperly managing medication, such as giving meds without a proper evaluation or overmedicating the teen
Not taking the teen’s culture or trauma history into account when developing a treatment plan
Negligence can be harder to detect than direct mistreatment. If it exists in a facility, it often shows up in patterns of poor communication, delayed progress, or a growing sense that the care being provided simply isn’t helping.
At Mission Prep, our aim is to ensure ethical treatment for teen mental health. We believe ethical adolescent care must be active, attentive, and built around the individual needs of each teen. If you’re unsure whether your child’s care has been appropriate, we’re here to help guide you through your options for investigating and taking it further.
Mental Health Patient Rights for Teens
According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a basic human right for all.² WHO also states that having a mental health condition doesn’t give reason to deprive someone of their human rights.
Teens have the same mental health patient rights as adults, and these encompass:
- Privacy
- Informed consent
- Access to care
Federal and state laws protect these rights through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA),³ the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and mental health legislation specific to each state.
How to Report Mistreatment in Teen Mental Health Care
The first step to reporting mistreatment of a teen in mental health care is to document the instances of mistreatment reported. Gather a detailed description of events and address the facility’s ombudsman or patient advocate office with your concerns.
If there’s no resolution or way forward with the facility, you can take the next step, which is to file a complaint about the inpatient psychiatric hospital or outpatient facility. This is done via the Department of Mental Health in the state where the facility is located.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI),⁴ you can file a complaint with The Joint Commission against the medical facility⁵. This nonprofit accredits 21,000+ healthcare organizations in the US.
NAMI also mentions that Medicare patients can file complaints with their state’s Quality Improvement Organization – a group that investigates and acts on complaints about Medicare patient treatment and care.
Ways to Empower Teens to Speak Up About Their Care
When teens are in treatment, especially in more intensive settings like inpatient care, it’s not always easy for them to speak up about how they’re feeling or what they’re experiencing.
They might worry about not being believed, fear repercussions, or simply not know how to put words to what they’re going through. That’s why empowering young people to use their voice is just as important as the clinical care itself.
The following information can help empower teens to speak up about their care.
1. Teaching Adolescents Their Rights
Be treated with dignity and respect- Ask questions and understand their diagnosis and treatment
- Participate in care decisions (where legally appropriate)
- Privacy and confidentiality within the bounds of safety
At Mission Prep, we take time to explain these rights in clear, age-appropriate language. We also make sure families understand them, so everyone is aligned on what safe, ethical care should look like.
2. Encouraging Self-Advocacy
Self-advocacy is a skill that takes practice and support. Teens need encouragement to speak up when something feels off, uncomfortable, or even just confusing. At Mission Prep, we help adolescents learn how to express their needs in a healthy, constructive way. This might look like:
- Practicing how to ask for a different therapist if they don’t feel a connection
- Learning to communicate boundaries during group therapy or activities
- Knowing how to request more support or a change in treatment direction
These moments of self-expression, no matter how small, build confidence. And over time, they help teens feel a greater sense of control over their care, which is a huge part of healing.
3. Providing Anonymous Reporting or Feedback Tools in Clinics and Schools
Even with support and education, some teens won’t feel comfortable speaking directly to a provider or adult. That’s why anonymous feedback tools can be so helpful, especially in more formal settings like clinics or schools. These tools might include:
- Secure digital forms for feedback or concerns
- Anonymous suggestion boxes placed in common areas
- QR codes teens can scan to access a reporting form
- Routine check-ins with neutral staff members not directly involved in care
At Mission Prep, we believe that accountability and transparency go hand in hand. We’re committed to offering multiple avenues for teens to be heard, because no young person should ever feel invisible in their own care journey.
Need Help Protecting Teens From Harmful Mental Health Practices?
When it comes to teen mental health care, there’s a lot of responsibility involved. Whether you’re a parent, educator, or school administrator, recognizing the signs of mistreatment and knowing how to respond is critical.
At Mission Prep, we specialize in adolescent mental health and understand the importance of trauma-informed, ethical treatment practices. We work alongside families and schools to not only provide exceptional care, but also help build systems that protect teen rights, amplify teen voices, and foster healing environments. From offering consultation to school staff to equipping educators with training on youth advocacy, our team is here to help guide the way forward.
If you’re looking to partner with a program that puts teens’ safety, autonomy, and long-term well-being at the center of everything, Mission Prep is ready to support you.
Contact Mission Prep today to speak with our admissions team or schedule a consultation for your school. Together, we can raise the standard of care for the next generation.
References
- Office of the Surgeon General (US). (2021). Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK608531/#:~:text=About%201%20in%205%20adolescents,mental%20or%20 behavioral%20health%20 condition.
- World Health Organization. (n.d.). Mental health: Promoting and protecting human rights. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/mental-health-promoting-and-protecting-human-rights
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved April 16, 2025, from https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/php/resources/health-insurance-portability-and-accountability-act-of-1996-hipaa.html
- National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). How do I file a complaint against a medical facility/provider? Retrieved April 16, 2025, from https://helplinefaqs.nami.org/article/99-how-do-i-file-a-complaint-against-a-medical-facility-provider
- The Joint Commission. (n.d.). Report a patient safety concern or complaint. Retrieved April 16, 2025, from https://www.jointcommission.org/resources/patient-safety-topics/report-a-patient-safety-concern-or-complaint/
