CCHR Urges Action as New Report Reveals Systemic Violations in Mental Health Institutions, mirrored in U.S. for-profit psychiatric hospitals
-- Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a global mental health watchdog, welcomes a newly released report from an international human rights organization that calls for an end to coercive psychiatric practices, exposing widespread human rights violations within mental health institutions worldwide. The report highlights the mistreatment of individuals who are involuntarily hospitalized and may be subject to the use of physical restraints, forced drugging, and prolonged confinement under inhumane conditions. The findings underscore a lack of independent oversight and accountability, exacerbating violations of fundamental human rights in psychiatric treatment. CCHR says that these abuses remain prevalent in the United States. Despite international human rights treaties ratified by the U.S., nearly 54% of psychiatric admissions in the country are involuntary, raising serious concerns about a disregard for basic rights.
Research further indicates that involuntary psychiatric hospitalization may pose life-threatening risks. A study published in Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior found that forced hospitalization is linked to an increased risk of suicide after discharge.
Legal Safeguards and Systemic Exploitation
The report calls for patient protections to ensure free and informed consent, prevent coercion, and address abuses through comprehensive reforms. In addition to forced hospitalization, concerns have been raised about the financial exploitation of patients in for-profit psychiatric facilities in the U.S. Reports indicate that some institutions detain voluntary patients against their will to maximize insurance reimbursements.
CCHR has documented significant abuses within the for-profit psychiatric industry, including:
Sexual abuse: A North Carolina psychiatric facility reported 129 allegations of sexual assault between 2019 and 2023.
Neglect and violence: A San Francisco Chronicle investigation found that California’s for-profit psychiatric hospitals had widespread reports of patient abuse, with at least 17 deaths linked to poor care in the past six years.
Child fatalities: Attorney Alan Mortensen has highlighted cases where children died in psychiatric facilities due to medical neglect.
Call for Reparative Justice and Systemic Reform
The report urges reparative justice for survivors of coercive psychiatric treatment, including financial compensation, public acknowledgments, and independent oversight. It states that past harms must be recognized, and meaningful steps taken toward accountability and reform.
CCHR supports these measures. “The findings in this report, coupled with extensively documented cases of abuse, highlight the urgent need for reform,” Jan Eastgate, CCHR’s president said. “Coerced treatment, forced hospitalization, and profit-driven exploitation of vulnerable individuals must end.”
For over 50 years, CCHR—founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz, a prolific author—has investigated and exposed human rights violations in the mental health system. The organization is calling for:
Stronger protections to prevent coercive psychiatric practices.
Independent oversight and increased accountability for psychiatric institutions.
Reparative justice for victims of psychiatric coercion and abuse.
"It is time for comprehensive changes to end coercive psychiatric practices, uphold human rights, and ensure strong accountability measures," Eastgate concluded.
Contact Info:
Name: Amber Rauscher
Email: Send Email
Organization: Citizens Commission on Human Rights International
Address: 6616 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90028, United States
Phone: +1-323-467-4242
Website: https://www.cchrint.org
Source: PressCable
Release ID: 89154298
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