S22.E14: Kelsey

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Kelsey was a standout student, extremely talented at soccer and could charm her way through anything. Everything changed when she was sexually assaulted at her first high school party at the age of 14. She didn't tell anyone about the attack and instead began using alcohol to mask the pain.  Drugs soon followed and Kelsey went all-in, using cocaine and alcohol daily. Today, the change in Kelsey is shocking. She is unrecognizable; gripped by psychosis, her kind, gentle soul has turned aggressive and destructive. Her family is terrified that, without an intervention, they may never get their little girl back.

Original air date 2021.06.14

[shouldbedancing]

This was a really depressing one. I think it was so hard because Kelsey was so beat down and her family was so beat down. It was toxic. I was shocked that the interventionist didn’t offer the family treatment. I cringed when the dad was yelling at her for not pressing charges after she was attacked she said that the guy probably did it to someone else now. And the grandma went off. Is that where Kelsey gets her violent streak from? I mean Kelsey was legit scared.

my initial thought was well obviously she’s gonna fail treatment. But when they showed her I was shocked. I was like wow she makes it! Then I learned she didn’t :( why did they let her go back home? She needs to stay away forever. I hope she gets a second chance but I fear she’s too far gone...

[TaraS1]

I had sympathy for her being attacked, of course, but the violent behavior towards her family made her one of the most unlikable addicts I've seen on the show in a while.  She looked absolutely amazing in treatment, though.  I'm sorry for her and her family that it didn't last.

[mmecorday]

I was so happy when Kelsey accepted help with her addiction and was amazed how good she looked after her stint in rehab. But I was crushed to learn that she relapsed. To quote Christie from "Mom," "I hate this disease."

[Pi237]

Past trauma might explain current behavior, but it doesn’t excuse it. She liked to throw down that rape card whenever she got called out for being an abusive manipulator, and it worked! That’s ridiculous. I don’t care what you went through, the instant you get violent with your own mom, your butt should be thrown out the door. She’ll never recover because they put up with it.  

[Mrs. Hanson]

I have mixed feelings on this one.  She was legit hurt, and should have sought help a long time ago to help her ease her trauma over the rape.  The whole family needed it.   But when she went to confront  her ex I knew she would be full of hot air.  I also predicted she would look WAAAAY better after 90 days, but was let down when she relapsed.  I want these people to get sprung and live in sober housing FAR FROM HOME, not back into the poor family dynamics.

But man, she was drunk/high ALL THE TIME.

[mythoughtis]

Most everyone in this family had anger issues, Kelsey because she was mentally ill… her family because they were at their wits end about Kelsey.   You just want to go back in time and shake parents who let their pre-teen and younger teens party.  Drugs, alcohol, and then often rapes because they meet predators.  Why is this such a strange concept for moms and dads?  

[Enero]

1 hour ago, mythoughtis said:

Most everyone in this family had anger issues, Kelsey because she was mentally ill… her family because they were at their wits end about Kelsey.   You just want to go back in time and shake parents who let their pre-teen and younger teens party.  Drugs, alcohol, and then often rapes because they meet predators.  Why is this such a strange concept for moms and dads?  

I understood that initially she was sneaking out to party and during one of those incidents she was raped. I don’t think her parents knew she was partying at first but were then just in denial when they were finding liquor bottles in her stuff etc. She was a functioning addict so it was easier for them to believe that her behavior wouldn’t eventually destroy her life. 

5 hours ago, Pi237 said:

She liked to throw down that rape card whenever she got called out for being an abusive manipulator, and it worked! That’s ridiculous

It really was an ugly vicious cycle. She used the rape as an excuse to be violent towards her family, which stirred their guilt over what happened and in turn caused them to accept her behavior.SMH. 

I wonder why she chose not to press charges against the rapist and refused help when it was initially offered once it was learned she was raped? Her anger is not just the drugs and alcohol but her guilt over being raped and perhaps not pursuing charges against the rapist. I agree though, the rape was no excuse for the utter disrespect and despicable behavior towards her family. I sympathize with what she went through but she was a vicious spoiled brat. 

3 hours ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

I also predicted she would look WAAAAY better after 90 days, but was let down when she relapsed.  I want these people to get sprung and live in sober housing FAR FROM HOME, not back into the poor family dynamics.

This. She looked a 1000x better after rehab. I know the show usually only pays for 90 -120 days of rehab, but with all of Kelsey’s issues I think she needed to be there longer and once complete moved to a sober living facility that was far from the triggers that was her hometown.

[BrownBear2012]

I was saddened to see that Kelsey relapsed after she went home...so now the family is back at square one with this mess. She should never have been sent home after treatment. She should have been put in sober living on the other side of Canada. At the rate she's going she will end up dead before she's 35 from Liver disease or from a violent encounter with another drug user. This was one of the most depressing and violent Interventions I've ever seen. The family was ill equipped emotionally or intellectually to handle the serious level of violence and addiction that was ravaging Kelsey and them. They needed treatment also. Kelsey was physically showing the signs of alcoholism with the bloated face and belly. She looked totally different after a few months in rehab...wow...I would never have recognized her. Very sad and disheartening  to see that she went right back to her addictions after putting in so much work on herself and getting sober.

[Tango64]

18 hours ago, Enero said:

I sympathize with what she went through but she was a vicious spoiled brat. 

Have to agree with this. She had some genuine trauma that no one should experience, but that can't excuse all her violent, abusive actions to family and strangers. 

[TVbitch]

My understanding was that after the detox and rehab, she was headed to another facility that would focus more on her trauma/eating disorders ....but WHY OH WHY did they let her go home first!!!! That is nuts! Send her directly to the other facility. Of course, she might have insisted, we don't know. 

Kelsey had black hole levels of desperation for attention. The way she insisted her mom stay with her all night, constantly bringing up the rapes and beatings as a way to hurt her family, telling them they did not respond appropriately and should feel guilty. A lot of it seemed like just a compulsion to create drama, but them going back at her was not helping! Ugh, what a mess!     

I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that she made it 120 days. And then gutted to think they are all still in that house again.