Latest news with #CCHR
Associated Press
13 hours ago
- Health
- Associated Press
Citizens Commission on Human Rights Exposes Psychiatry's Role in Oppressing Black South Africans
- Psychiatry: An Industry of Death exhibit draws crowds in the township of Zithobeni, in Gauteng, South Africa, spotlighting psychiatry's role in apartheid and its continuing threat to human rights - ZITHOBENI, South Africa, July 1, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Hundreds of South Africans visited the Psychiatry: An Industry of Death exhibit at the Zithobeni Community Hall, where they were introduced to the destructive legacy of psychiatry and its ongoing impact on Black communities. Hosted by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), the exhibit, with the theme Taking Mental Wellness and Human Rights to Communities, resonated deeply with residents, traditional leaders and professionals. The exhibit highlighted the insidious link between psychiatry's creation and support of eugenics and apartheid. South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd—a psychologist educated in Nazi Germany—applied racist psychiatric theories to craft apartheid policies. Psychiatrists supported the regime with pseudoscientific claims of Black inferiority, helping to justify widespread discrimination, denial of education, and the destruction of families, communities and entire cultures. For decades, Black South Africans were funneled into psychiatric institutions through secret government contracts that guaranteed high occupancy rates. Tens of thousands were committed without consent, drugged, subjected to electroshock without anesthesia and forced into unpaid labor—practices exposed by CCHR in the 1970s. When local laws tried to silence CCHR's exposure of these abuses, CCHR took their findings to the World Health Organization (WHO). A 1983 WHO report compared the psychiatric labor camps to slavery and confirmed widespread neglect, abuse and preventable deaths. The Zithobeni exhibit brought this history to light for many for the first time. 'My eyes are opened now after seeing the exhibit,'said one attendee.'Psychiatrists must be punished and expelled from health centers,' said another. The event shifted public opinion, with a majority of attendees leaving with a changed view of psychiatry—the raw, shocking facts now clearly etched in their minds. Speakers at the event urged the community to reject psychiatric coercion and flagrant abuses and instead embrace wellness, dignity and informed choice. One respected community leader warned, 'Many people today seek quick fixes, often turning to psychiatric medications with potentially serious side effects. These medications can have a profound impact on our minds and bodies.' Another reminded the audience that '[eugenics']' racist and discriminatory ideas undoubtedly contributed to the intellectual climate that allowed apartheid to flourish.' Others emphasized that the ideologies that underpinned apartheid have not disappeared—they've simply been repackaged. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz, continues to fight for a mental health system rooted in dignity, freedom and informed choice. The organization has been instrumental in exposing abuses globally and, in South Africa, remains committed to ensuring communities know their rights and the full truth about psychiatry's role in their oppression. Media Contact: Linda Weiland [email protected] MULTIMEDIA: Photo link for media: PHOTO CAPTION: Attendees learned the raw and shocking facts about psychiatry and its role in the creation and support of apartheid. NEWS SOURCE: Citizens Commission on Human Rights Keywords: Africa Business, CCHR, Psychiatry: An Industry of Death exhibit, psychiatry's role in apartheid, Citizens Commission on Human Rights, Black South Africans, ZITHOBENI, South Africa This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Citizens Commission on Human Rights) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P127384 APNF0325A To view the original version, visit: © 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA. RIGHTS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY LEGITIMATE MEDIA OUTLET - SUCH AS NEWSPAPER, BROADCAST OR TRADE PERIODICAL. MAY NOT BE USED ON ANY NON-MEDIA WEBSITE PROMOTING PR OR MARKETING SERVICES OR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
Associated Press
13 hours ago
- Health
- Associated Press
CCHR Exhibit Exposes Psychiatric Abuse Amid National Inquiry Into More Than 2,000 Patient Deaths
- As the UK investigates systemic mental health failures, CCHR's traveling exhibit reveals the human cost of coercive psychiatry - LONDON, U.K., July 1, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) placed its Psychiatry: An Industry of DeathExhibit in the heart of London in Cavendish Square, timed to coincide with the Lampard Inquiry—the first public investigation into deaths in the UK's mental health system. The exhibit exposed a hidden side of psychiatry that too often goes unacknowledged. Hundreds toured the exhibit—from students to social workers, nurses, families and survivors. Each left with a new, often stunned, perspective. 'This is shocking, patients deserve respect and good treatment rather than those horrible acts,' said one visitor. Another called it 'a real eye-opener,' decrying the alliance between psychiatrists, pharmaceutical companies and media to keep abuses hidden. One nurse from Essex, who works alongside two psychologists, said she found the exhibit incredible and planned to take the information back to her colleagues and follow the Lampard Inquiry more closely. Visitors found the exhibit didn't just educate—it validated their own experiences. One woman, whose brother had been diagnosed as schizophrenic, shared her family's painful journey through a system that failed them. Another, a survivor of childhood abuse, was involuntarily committed after speaking out. In her words, she had been 'numbed by drugs, upset and abused,' with psychiatric medication forced on her. Seeing the exhibit, she said, inspired her hope and determination 'to see justice all the way.' Speakers addressed the crowd with powerful testimony. One advocate declared, 'I stand here today for every person who was told their sadness was a disease. For every teenager handed a bottle of pills instead of a listening ear. For every soul who sat alone in a locked room, medicated against their will. And for every survivor who dared to say: 'No more.' The psychiatric industry would have us believe that being human is a disorder. They call it care. But what kind of care begins with force? What kind of healing demands silence, submission, sedation? The fight we are waging is not against medicine itself—it's against a system that forgot the meaning of healing.' While the Lampard Inquiry is drawing national attention to longstanding psychiatric failures, CCHR's exhibit lays bare how these failures are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a systemic problem: a model of care built on force, sedation and silence. The inquiry, investigating over 2,000 deaths in the Essex mental health system, reveals appalling delays in justice for grieving families and highlights 'institutional defensiveness' obstructing truth and accountability. The CCHR exhibit called for informed consent, alternative solutions to emotional distress, and accountability for the industry that inflicts harm under the guise of 'treatment.' 'Thank you for raising awareness. Appalling that this is still happening!' wrote one guest. 'Society needs such an awareness in today's world,' said another. Founded in 1969 by psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz and the Church of Scientology, CCHR continues to expose psychiatric abuse globally. In the UK, the organization remains committed to ensuring the public knows the whole truth and their rights within the field of mental health. MULTIMEDIA: Photo link for media: Photo caption: The Executive Director of CCHR United Kingdom, along with other speakers, participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome visitors to the CCHR Exhibit. NEWS SOURCE: Citizens Commission on Human Rights Keywords: United Kingdom Business, Citizens Commission on Human Rights CCHR, mental health failures, Industry of Death Exhibit, LONDON, U.K. This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Citizens Commission on Human Rights) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P127395 APNF0325A To view the original version, visit: © 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA. RIGHTS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY LEGITIMATE MEDIA OUTLET - SUCH AS NEWSPAPER, BROADCAST OR TRADE PERIODICAL. MAY NOT BE USED ON ANY NON-MEDIA WEBSITE PROMOTING PR OR MARKETING SERVICES OR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Health
- Associated Press
CCHR wants electroshocking children prohibited under child abuse laws
LOS ANGELES, Calif., June 30, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Child and adolescent psychiatrists have issued a policy statement urging broader access to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for children and adolescents despite growing international condemnation of the practice on minors. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Human Rights Office have called for an outright ban on ECT for children, explicitly stating: 'ECT is not recommended for children, and this should be prohibited through legislation.'[1] The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a mental health industry watchdog, condemned the statement as 'medically reckless, legally dangerous, and morally indefensible.' CCHR is demanding federal and state lawmakers move urgently to outlaw the electroshocking of children, classifying it as a form of child abuse. ECT, also known as shock treatment, sends up to 460 volts of electricity through the brain to induce a grand mal seizure. This disruption of the brain's electrical activity alters its structure and function, an especially serious risk to the developing brains of children. Yet child psychiatrists not only call for expanded use of ECT on minors but also oppose 'any efforts—legal, legislative, and otherwise—to block access to ECT.' Through US Freedom of Information Act requests, CCHR uncovered that children as young as five have been electroshocked. The full scope remains hidden due to the lack of national transparency requirements on ECT usage. Internationally, some countries have already banned ECT entirely (e.g., Slovenia and Luxembourg). In the U.S., California prohibits it under age 12, and Texas under 16. In Western Australia, ECT on minors under 14 is illegal, with criminal penalties—including jail time—for administering it to children. CCHR was instrumental in helping secure that law, along with state bans in the US. Disturbingly, a child and adolescent psychiatry group has also called for more research involving ECT on youth, potentially exposing children under age 13 to an unproven and highly invasive procedure. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restricts its use to individuals aged 13 and older for limited diagnoses. The psychiatry group's statement fails to disclose that brain damage is a known risk of ECT. Yet, the American Psychiatric Association concedes that 'ECT can result in persistent or permanent memory loss.' The joint WHO/UN report adds: 'People being offered ECT should also be made aware of all its risks and potential short- and long-term harmful effects, such as memory loss and brain damage.' [2] In June 2024, the California Supreme Court ruled that an ECT device manufacturer must warn doctors of the risks of brain damage and permanent memory loss.[3] In 2018, a US District Court judge found there was sufficient evidence for a jury to conclude that an ECT device could cause brain injury.[4] Neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu—known for discovering chronic traumatic encephalopathy ( brain diseases or damage) in football players—publicly condemned ECT, stating: ' The amounts of electrical energy introduced to the human brain by ECT machines can be nothing but harmful and dangerous…. The patient who receives ECT therapy will manifest permanent and cumulative brain injury, which can be progressive over time and result in chronic encephalopathies and brain degeneration.' [5] Despite pediatric psychiatry's claim that ECT is 'safe and effective,' the FDA has never required manufacturers to prove ECT's safety or efficacy through clinical trials.[6] Internationally renowned researcher Prof. John Read reports that only 11 placebo-controlled trials of ECT have ever been conducted—all prior to 1985, and all deeply flawed. 'None found any benefit beyond the end of treatment,' he stated. Further, children's developing brains are 'particularly susceptible to the memory loss caused by ECT.' [7] Legal precedent exists for holding professionals and psychiatric facilities accountable for misleading parents about the safety and nature of treatment. In June 2024, an Arizona jury awarded $2.5 million in punitive damages to the family of a teen girl who suffered coercion and abuse at a troubled teen treatment facility. They successfully argued that they were misled by marketing materials portraying the program as therapeutic and safe, when it was abusive.[8] CCHR says that this same legal framework must apply to misleading promotion of ECT's benefits to desperate parents. Failing to disclose the full risks of ECT should be subject to the same scrutiny and liability as cases in the troubled teen treatment industry. CCHR asserts that electroshocking should not only be banned nationwide, but if administered to children, should be held accountable under child abuse laws. Jan Eastgate, president of CCHR International, stated, 'The electroshocking of children is without moral or scientific justification and should be indefensible under the law. As international bodies condemn it, and legal rulings establish precedent for holding programs accountable for misleading parents, the U.S. must act. We urge lawmakers at all levels to ban ECT, especially on minors, and define it as a form of child abuse.' CCHR, which was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz, recommends parents watch its documentary, Therapy or Torture: The Truth About Electroshock, with expert opinions about how ECT damages minds. To learn more, visit: Sources: [1] World Health Organization, OHCHR, 'Guidance on Mental Health, Human Rights and Legislation,' pp. 58 & 59 [2] [3] [4] 'ECT Litigation Update: Are Patients Being Warned of Brain Damage Risk?' MAD, 13 June 2019 [5] [6] [7] [8] MULTIMEDIA: Image link for media: Image caption: Through US Freedom of Information Act requests, CCHR uncovered that children as young as five have been electroshocked. The full scope remains hidden due to the lack of national transparency requirements on ECT usage. NEWS SOURCE: Citizens Commission on Human Rights Keywords: AP, ban ECT, child abuse laws, ECT usage, Citizens Commission on Human Rights, CCHR International, electroshock, Jan Eastgate, LOS ANGELES, Calif. This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Citizens Commission on Human Rights) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P127282 APNF0325A To view the original version, visit: © 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA. RIGHTS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY LEGITIMATE MEDIA OUTLET - SUCH AS NEWSPAPER, BROADCAST OR TRADE PERIODICAL. MAY NOT BE USED ON ANY NON-MEDIA WEBSITE PROMOTING PR OR MARKETING SERVICES OR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
Associated Press
23-06-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
CCHR Demands Nursing Home Chemical Restraint Ban and Full Accountability
LOS ANGELES, Calif., June 23, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Federal health authorities are sounding the alarm over the chronic use of antipsychotic and psychotropic drugs in America's nursing homes. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has prioritized enforcement actions to reduce psychotropic prescribing—especially among seniors with dementia. With over 15,000 facilities nationwide housing more than 1.2 million elderly residents, mental health watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) warns the unchecked drugging of seniors constitutes systemic elder abuse.[1] CCHR is urging lawmakers to adopt the recommendations of a United Nations human rights expert, Claudia Mahler, who called for prohibiting chemical restraints—drugs used to control behavior—in aged-care settings. Mahler's report criticized the drugging of seniors in care facilities, asserting that older persons are 'more likely to be deprived of liberty in care facilities than in prisons.' She further warned that antipsychotic use in dementia can double the risk of death.[2] Although the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes reported a reduction in antipsychotic use among long-stay residents—from 30.1% in 2011 to 14.5% by the end of 2021—those figures obscure concerning patterns of diagnosis manipulation. For instance, some nursing homes labeled seniors with schizophrenia, a diagnosis virtually unheard of in the elderly, to continue prescribing antipsychotics despite federal restrictions.[3] Federal Warnings Ignored, Harm Continues Warnings about the dangers of these drugs have spanned decades. In 2007, FDA safety official Dr. David Graham estimated at least 15,000 nursing home residents die each year due to antipsychotic use.[4] Dr. Peter Gøtzsche, a Danish physician and internationally recognized expert on pharmaceutical safety, places the toll from psychiatric drugs—including neuroleptics, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants—at approximately 209,000 deaths annually among Americans 65 and older. Sleep medications may contribute to an additional 320,000 to 507,000 deaths per year. Even short-term use has serious consequences. Studies show that for every 100 dementia patients prescribed newer antipsychotics over just ten weeks, one will die. Combining a benzodiazepine with a neuroleptic can increase mortality risk by as much as 65%.[5] Despite federal regulations dating back to 1987 that prohibit psychotropic use for staff convenience or discipline, enforcement has been lax. In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black-box warning linking antipsychotics to death in dementia patients prompting some prescribers to sidestep restrictions by re-diagnosing patients.[6] Between 2015 and 2019, schizophrenia diagnoses among nursing home residents rose 194%—an implausible increase, attributed to efforts to preserve prescribing authority.[7] In 2021, a New York Times investigation revealed that 21% of residents were still being given antipsychotics, often based on unsupported or false diagnoses. In 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched new measures to identify facilities inflating diagnostic codes to justify drug use—but the problem persists.[8] Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising has also fueled drug overuse among seniors. A 2021 study found that television ads heavily influenced seniors' prescription decisions, especially in areas with high Medicare enrollment. Between 2006 and 2017, $528 million was spent promoting one antipsychotic.[9] In June 2025, the End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act was introduced to ban DTCA. Psychotropic drug use in long-term care facilities is a human rights crisis. Studies show that roughly 16% of nursing home residents experience abuse, yet only 1 in 24 cases is reported. Disturbingly, up to 40% of staff admit to having psychologically abused residents.[10] Reforms Urgently Needed The ongoing harm inflicted on elderly residents is not an isolated lapse but a failure of oversight, ethics, and accountability, tantamount to elder abuse. CCHR urges U.S. legislators and regulators to implement such reforms as: 'What's happening in nursing homes today is not care—it's chemical control and a national disgrace,' said Jan Eastgate, President of CCHR International. 'Our seniors are not being treated—they're being sedated for convenience, often at the cost of their lives.' About CCHR: CCHR, established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry Dr. Thomas Szasz, urges Congress and state legislatures to outlaw chemical restraints in aged care and demand accountability from prescribers and nursing homes. 'The nation's elderly deserve compassion and safety, not sedation, and dignity not death by prescription,' Eastgate said. To learn more, visit: Sources: [1] Poliakoff & Associates, P.A., 'Nursing Home Oversight and Antipsychotic Drug Use,' 12 June 2025, [2] ''Chemical Restraints' Deprive Older People of Liberty,' Human Rights Watch, 19 Sept. 2022, [3] 'Brown Study Challenges Common Perceptions of Antipsychotic Use in Nursing Homes,' Brown University School of Public Health, 5 Sept. 2024, [4] Testimony by Dr. David Graham, House Hearing, 110th Congress – The Adequacy of FDA to Assure the Safety of the Nation's Drug Supply General, 13 Feb. 2007, p. 66 [5] Peter C. Gøtzsche, 'Prescription Drugs Are the Leading Cause of Death,' Brownstone Institute, 16 Apr. 2024, [6] 'Phony Diagnoses Hide High Rates of Drugging at Nursing Homes,' The New York Times, 16 Sept. 2021, [7] 'Long-Term Trends of Psychotropic Drug Use in Nursing Homes,' Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, 11 Nov. 2022, [8] 'Phony Diagnoses Hide High Rates of Drugging at Nursing Homes,' The New York Times, 16 Sept. 2021, [9] 'Physicians Treating Alzheimer's Disease Patients Should Be Aware that Televised Direct-to-Consumer Advertising Links More Strongly to Drug Utilization in Older Patients,' Jour. Alzheimers Dis. June 2021, [10] 'Elder Abuse Statistics,' 19 May 2025, MULTIMEDIA: Image link for media Image caption: 'Psychotropic drugs are being used to sedate, restrain, and silence, and, as such, are a tool of oppression. CCHR asserts that this practice meets the legal definition of elder abuse and must be treated as a criminal offense.' – Jan Eastgate, President CCHR International. NEWS SOURCE: Citizens Commission on Human Rights Keywords: General Editorial, CCHR, Nursing Homes, Dementia Care, Chemical Restraint, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, LOS ANGELES, Calif. This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Citizens Commission on Human Rights) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P127084 APNF0325A To view the original version, visit: © 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA. RIGHTS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY LEGITIMATE MEDIA OUTLET - SUCH AS NEWSPAPER, BROADCAST OR TRADE PERIODICAL. MAY NOT BE USED ON ANY NON-MEDIA WEBSITE PROMOTING PR OR MARKETING SERVICES OR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
Associated Press
16-06-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
CCHR Urges U.S. Reform as Global Court Momentum Builds Against Forced Psychiatry
LOS ANGELES, Calif., June 16, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — In what is being widely reported as a landmark human rights decision, Italy's Constitutional Court in May 2025 struck down part of the country's decades-old psychiatric law—Article 35 of Law 833/1978—declaring some of its provisions for involuntary detainment unconstitutional. The ruling affirms that individuals subjected to compulsory psychiatric hospitalization must have the right to challenge such detention in court with legal representation.[1] The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), based in Los Angeles, hailed the decision as an essential step towards achieving human rights in the mental health field. CCHR said its chapters worldwide are intensifying efforts to urge courts and lawmakers to follow suit and ultimately abolish forced psychiatric hospitalization and treatment. The group called on the United States to replicate—and expand—such protections. In the U.S., the practice of forced psychiatric detainment has sharply escalated. According to David Cohen, professor of social welfare at UCLA's Luskin School, involuntary psychiatric detentions have increased at a rate three times higher than population growth in recent years.[2] A 2023 report, Involuntary Civil Commitment: Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Protections, posted on underscores that such commitments 'implicate constitutional concerns and constraints under the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution,' particularly regarding the liberty interests of confined individuals. Yet, it notes the U.S. Supreme Court has never conclusively ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees all such protections.[3] While the Italian court ruling is significant, CCHR notes that it stops short of banning Trattamento Sanitario Obbligatorio (TSO), the Italian legal framework for compulsory psychiatric hospitalization.[4] The U.S. similarly authorizes involuntary psychiatric treatment through legislative orders. In both countries, forced interventions remain legal despite mounting ethical criticism. Coercion in mental health settings has increasingly drawn global condemnation. Critics argue that forced psychiatric treatment fundamentally violates human dignity and autonomy. A 2023 study in BMC Psychiatry concluded that coercion is incompatible with human rights and 'should be avoided as far as possible.'[5] That same year, The Lancet warned that coercive psychiatric practices override patients' fundamental rights, and that approaches to reduce coercion are possible, and the cost of implementing them is minimal compared to the damage caused by forced interventions.[6] Italy's decision follows another recent victory involving CCHR efforts in Europe. In Hungary, CCHR collaborated with legal experts to secure a Constitutional Court ruling that found Parliament had failed to provide legal avenues for individuals unlawfully detained in psychiatric facilities to seek compensation. Following sustained advocacy by CCHR Hungary, others, the Court and the President of the Republic, a new regulation was enacted on December 20, 2024, guaranteeing—for the first time—the legal right to compensation for victims of unlawful psychiatric detention.[7] CCHR's international work continues to gain recognition. On June 2, 2025, New Zealand CCHR volunteer Victor Boyd was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit by King Charles III. The honor recognized his 50-year campaign with CCHR to expose coercive psychiatric practices, particularly those used against children at the now-closed Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital's Child and Adolescent Unit. Boyd's relentless advocacy through CCHR helped prompt a formal government acknowledgement of the abuse and torture carried out by a psychiatrist heading the unit. The award is endorsed by the New Zealand Prime Minister and the Parliamentary Cabinet.[8] Momentum is also growing at the global policy level. The World Health Organization (WHO) released its Guidance on Mental Health Policy and Strategic Action Plan in April 2025, recommending the prohibition of involuntary psychiatric practices—including forced hospitalization and treatment—and affirming individuals' right to refuse such treatment. The WHO and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have repeatedly called for mental health systems to move away from coercion and adopt rights-respecting, support-based alternative approaches. These international reforms are grounded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which Italy ratified in 2009. The CRPD explicitly rejects coercive interventions in mental health care. Its General Comment No. 1 affirms that all individuals—regardless of disability status—retain full legal capacity and must be supported, not substituted, in making decisions about their lives and health.[9] About CCHR: Since its founding in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz, CCHR has worked alongside survivors, whistleblowers, and international legal experts to expose systemic psychiatric abuse and advocate for transparent, non-coercive mental health care. The growing international rulings, government acknowledgements, and awards highlight a turning tide—and CCHR says now is the time for the United States to implement legal reforms that respect the rights, liberty, and dignity of all individuals in mental health settings. To learn more, visit: Sources: [1] 'CCHR Encourages Italy to Complete Full Mental Health Reform After Court Ruling on Forced Treatment,' European Times, 5 June 2025, [2] 'Study finds involuntary psychiatric detentions on the rise,' UCLA Newsroom, 3 Nov. 2020, [3] Hannah-Alise Rogers, 'Involuntary Civil Commitment: Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Protections,' Health Care; Law, Constitution & Civil Liberties, 24 May 2023, [4] 'CCHR Encourages Italy to Complete Full Mental Health Reform After Court Ruling on Forced Treatment,' European Times, 5 June 2025, [5] Eva Brekke, et al., 'Patients' experiences with coercive mental health treatment in Flexible Assertive Community Treatment: a qualitative study,' BMC Psychiatry, 18 Oct. 2023, [6] Beate Wild, et al., 'Reduction of coercion in psychiatric hospitals: how can this be achieved?' The Lancet, Dec. 2023, [7] [8] 'King's Birthday Honours: Advocate dedicates award to survivors of abuse in care,' RNZ, 2 June 2025, 'Abuses in psychiatric care: The shameful story of the Lake Alice Child and Adolescent unit in Aotearoa New Zealand,' Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 2023 Sep;57(9):1193-1197, [9] 'CCHR Encourages Italy to Complete Full Mental Health Reform After Court Ruling on Forced Treatment,' European Times, 5 June 2025, MULTIMEDIA Image link for media: Image caption: The growing international rulings, government acknowledgements, and awards highlight a turning tide—and now is the time for the United States to implement legal reforms that respect the rights, liberty, and dignity of all individuals in mental health settings. – CCHR International NEWS SOURCE: Citizens Commission on Human Rights Keywords: General Editorial, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, CCHR Italy, human rights decision, Italy Constitutional Court, Forced Psychiatry, LOS ANGELES, Calif. This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Citizens Commission on Human Rights) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P126957 APNF0325A To view the original version, visit: © 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA. RIGHTS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY LEGITIMATE MEDIA OUTLET - SUCH AS NEWSPAPER, BROADCAST OR TRADE PERIODICAL. MAY NOT BE USED ON ANY NON-MEDIA WEBSITE PROMOTING PR OR MARKETING SERVICES OR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
