text: help at any cost help at any cost : how the troubled - teen industry cons parents and hurts kids is a non - fiction book by maia szalavitz analyzing the controversy surrounding the tough love behavior modification industry . the book was published february 16 , 2006 , by riverhead books . szalavitz focuses on four programs : straight , incorporated , a copy of the straight inc. program called kids , north star wilderness boot camp , and the world wide association of specialty programs and schools . she discusses the background , history and methodology of the troubled - teen industry , including techniques drawn from attack therapy and synanon . she uses first - person accounts and court testimony in her research , and states that no evidence exists proving that these programs are effective . the book also includes advice for parents and an appendix with additional resources on how to get responsible help for teenagers . the book received positive reviews in academic journals , literary journals , and in the media . psychologist steve k. d. eichel reviewed the book for cultic studies review and called it a " must read " , psychologist and psychiatrist robert john mcallister described it as " an excellent and informative book on the subject of the ' troubled - teen industry ' " in his book emotions : mystery or madness , and a review in psychology today described szalavitz 's work as " a meticulously reported and thoughtful investigation " . the book also received positive reviews in publishers weekly , booklist , and newsday . the book later led to an investigation into the troubled - teen industry by the united states house committee on education and labor of the united states house of representatives , and representative george miller held hearings on the matter in october 2007 and april 2008 . background teenagers have been participating in tough love behavior modification programs since the 1960s . many of these programs take place in the wilderness in the style of military recruit training ( also known as boot camps ) and the teenagers are subjected to rigid discipline , including mandatory marches , physical abuse , solitary confinement , and deprivation of food and sleep . these programs have little to no oversight from the united states federal or state governments . teenagers ' claims of abuse at these facilities have not been investigated because the programs are not regulated . author maia szalavitz is a senior fellow at the statistical assessment service ( ) , a media watchdog organization which monitors news coverage of statistics and science . she has served as a researcher for journalist bill moyers , a part - time contributor to psychology today , and has written articles for the new york times , the washington post , reason , and the american prospect . szalavitz is the co - author of recovery options : the complete guide with joseph , and the boy who was raised as a dog with bruce d. perry . contents in help at any cost szalavitz investigates the teen rehabilitation industry and focuses on four programs : straight , incorporated , a copy of the straight inc. program called kids of bergen county , north star wilderness boot camp , and the world wide association of specialty programs and schools . some of these programs cost parents over us $ 2 , 000 per month . she discusses the history of the troubled - teen industry and its origins in a controversial group founded in 1958 called synanon . synanon claimed that it could cure addiction to heroin , and its methodologies such as attack therapy , forced confessions , and imposed powerlessness spread throughout the united states . after a rattlesnake was placed in the mailbox of an attorney suing synanon , the group 's founder was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder . synanon later went bankrupt , but szalavitz maintains that it influenced organizations related to the troubled - teen industry . szalavitz notes that according to a 2004 statement released by the national institutes of health , teen programs using " fear and tough treatment " are not successful and evidence shows that they can worsen existing behavioral problems . many of the children that enter these programs suffer from mental illness , and already have a history of prior trauma and abuse . szalavitz uses first - person accounts from teenagers that participated in these programs , and asserts that the programs have potentially serious negative consequences , including post - traumatic stress and deaths . an emotional story in the book recounts the death of 16 - year - old aaron bacon . bacon suffered from a treatable ulcer , and died after being out in the wilderness in utah for weeks while in the care of the group north star . bacon lost 23 pounds ( 10 kg ) in 20 days , but was called " gay " and a " faker " when he complained of abdominal pain , and was punished by north star supervisors — his sleeping bag and food were taken away from him . the individuals responsible for bacon were charged with negligent homicide , but did not serve any jail time . in addition to these first - person accounts , she also incorporates court reports and testimony in her research . szalavitz highlights controversial practices used by these tough love teen industry programs which the geneva convention banned as being too extreme for prisoners of war . she states that there is no evidence that any of the programs are effective . portions of the book are addressed to parents and provide resources and advice on how to select better choices instead of programs in the tough love teen industry , and the book includes an appendix aimed at educating parents on how to find help for their teenagers . reception in his book emotions : mystery or madness , psychologist and psychiatrist robert john mcallister highly recommended help at any cost , and called it " an excellent and informative book on the subject of the ' troubled - teen industry ' " , and " important reading for any parent who is considering sending a teenager to a tough love program , a boot camp , or a wilderness program . " in a review of the book in library journal , linda beck commented : " this book is excellent owing to its whistle - blowing approach : it exposes an unregulated industry and alerts adults to the severe harm inflicted by these ' schools . ' " she called the book " chilling " and " highly recommended for public libraries . " in a review in mother jones , nell bernstein highlighted the sources given for parents at the back of the book , commenting : " help at any cost winds up with an appendix that helpfully outlines " evidence based " alternatives to the tough - love approach . " steve weinberg of the st. louis post - dispatch gave the book a positive review , and described as " a talented , relentless investigator " . he noted : " her outrage surfaces frequently as children die , as once - loving families are atomized and as troubled - teen entrepreneurs escape criminal prosecution while using legal maneuvers to prevail in civil court lawsuits seeking damages " , and characterized help at any cost as " an important book about an industry that sometimes helps troubled youth but causes harm way too often . " a review in psychology today called the book " an alarming exposé of the burgeoning business of boot camps and drug rehab centers that promise to reform troubled teens " , and described szalavitz 's work as " a meticulously reported and thoughtful investigation " . vanessa bush of booklist characterized the book as " a revealing , at times horrifying look at the troubled - teen industry . " publishers weekly noted : " with a useful appendix discussing when and how to get responsible help for a troubled teen , this book , filled with first - person accounts , should be required reading in parenting 101 " , calling the work " a courageous — if horrifying — study of the tough - love industry " . karen , author of the stuff of life , gave the book a positive review in newsday , writing : " maia szalavitz 's brisk investigation of america 's so - called " tough love " treatment programs , which bill themselves as the last hope for out - of - control , drug - taking teens , would be the stuff of a bad tv movie , if it weren 't so smart , well - researched and even - handed . " mark sauer of the san diego union - tribune noted : " some of the stories reveal physical and psychological abuse that rivals tales from iraq 's abu ghraib prison . " aftermath help at any cost succeeded in bringing attention to deaths related to medical neglect and child abuse in the troubled - teen industry . on october 10 , 2007 , the united states house committee on education and labor of the united states house of representatives held a full committee investigative hearing chaired by representative george miller on " cases of child neglect and abuse at private residential treatment facilities " . the government accountability office presented findings from an investigation into the troubled - teen industry , and parents of teens who died under care of these organizations testified at the hearing . maia szalavitz attended the hearing as well . after the book 's publication , szalavitz continued to write about the controversy surrounding the troubled - teen industry for statistical assessment service , the new york times , the washington post , reason , and the american prospect . the house committee on education and labor held additional hearings on the matter on april 24 , 2008 , again chaired by representative george miller .