LOS ANGELES - s4story -- A groundbreaking report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Mental Health and Human Rights has called for an end to coercive psychiatric practices, highlighting widespread human rights violations within psychiatric institutions. The report exposes the mistreatment of individuals subjected to involuntary hospitalization, often in inhumane conditions, including cases where patients are physically restrained or chained. The lack of independent oversight and accountability is exacerbating violations of basic human rights in psychiatric treatment, across the globe, according to the report.[1]

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a 56-year mental health industry watchdog, warns that these abuses remain prevalent in the United States. CCHR President Jan Eastgate asserts, "The UN and other agencies have determined that forced hospitalization strips individuals of their autonomy, often subjecting them to degrading conditions, physical restraints, forced drugging, and electroshock treatment against their will  Yet despite the US-ratified Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, and even the American Convention on Human Rights, approximately 54% of psychiatric admissions in the country are involuntary, demonstrating a blatant disregard for human rights."[2]

Evidence shows that forced hospitalization may also constitute a life-threatening risk. A study published in Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior found that involuntary hospitalization is associated with an increased risk of suicide after psychiatric care.[3]

The UN report calls for legal safeguards to ensure free and informed consent, prevent coercion, and address abuses in psychiatric interventions through comprehensive civil law reforms.

Beyond forced hospitalization, the profit-driven exploitation of patients is another growing concern. Many private, for-profit psychiatric facilities hold voluntary patients against their will to maximize insurance reimbursements. In Washington, D.C., a woman was committed involuntarily after only a five-minute conversation with a doctor—despite the psychiatrist noting she was calm, cooperative, and possessed good judgment. Her medical records, however, falsely reflected the need for an involuntary stay, ensuring the hospital could bill insurance for the maximum amount. She was only released after securing a judge's intervention.[4]

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CCHR has also documented shocking levels of abuse within U.S. for-profit psychiatric facilities.

• Sexual abuse is rampant in some hospitals. In North Carolina, a single psychiatric facility faced 129 allegations of sexual assault between 2019 and 2023.[5]
• California's for-profit psychiatric hospitals have seen widespread reports of neglect and violence. A San Francisco Chronicle investigation uncovered hundreds of cases of patients being beaten or sexually assaulted, with at least 17 deaths linked to deficient care in the past six years.[6]
• Children have died due to gross negligence. In recent testimony before the Utah Senate Judiciary Committee, attorney Alan Mortensen highlighted the deaths of two children in for-profit psychiatric facilities after their serious health concerns were ignored.[7]
• In recent years, lawsuits alleging sexual and physical abuse have led to hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements for victims.[8]  

The UN Calls for Reparative Justice—CCHR Demands Action

The UN report urges reparative justice mechanisms for survivors of coercive psychiatric treatment, including financial compensation, public apologies, and independent oversight. It states that past harms "need to be acknowledged, and meaningful steps should be taken toward recognition and reparations."[9]

CCHR supports this demand. Jan Eastgate concludes, "The United Nations' findings, along with widespread cases of abuse, paint a grim picture of psychiatric treatment in the U.S. The continued use of forced hospitalization, coerced treatment, and the profit-driven exploitation of vulnerable patients must end."

For more than five decades, CCHR—founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz—has investigated and exposed human rights violations in the mental health system. The organization is calling for:

• Legislative protections for patients and an end to coercive psychiatric practices.
• Stronger oversight and independent accountability of psychiatric institutions.
• Reparative justice for victims of psychiatric coercion and abuse.

"It is time for comprehensive reform to end coercive psychiatric practices, uphold human rights, and ensure strong accountability measures are instilled as well as justice for those harmed," Eastgate declares.

Sources:

[1] "Mental health and human rights," Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 14 Jan. 2025, Point 17, Pages 5-6, docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/58/38

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[2] "Involuntary Commitments: Billing Patients for Forced Psychiatric Care," The American Journ. of Psychiatry, 1 Dec. 2020, ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20030319

[3] www.cchrint.org/2023/01/23/involuntary-commitment-forced-mental-health-treatment-violate-human-rights/; Jordan, J. T., & McNiel, D. E., "Perceived coercion during admission into psychiatric hospitalization increases risk of suicide attempts after discharge," Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, EPub, 4 June 2019, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31162700/

[4] "D.C. psych hospital committed patients to boost profits, lawsuit says," Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2025, www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/02/24/psychiatric-institute-washington-lawsuit-medical-neglect/; Mariah Taylor, "Universal Health Services hospital accused of boosting profits with involuntary commitment practices," Becker's Hospital Review, 24 Feb. 2025, www.beckershospitalreview.com/legal-regulatory-issues/universal-health-services-hospital-accused-of-boosting-profits-with-involuntary-commitment-practices.html

[5] "Former employees say short-staffed NC psych hospital rife with violence, abuse," NC Health News, 6 May 2024, www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2024/05/06/former-employees-say-short-staffed-nc-psych-hospital-rife-with-violence-abuse/

[6] "Violence, understaffing and neglect in California's for-profit psychiatric hospitals: Key takeaways from our investigation," San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2025, www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2025/california-psychiatric-hospitals-jazmin-pellegrini-death/

[7] "Alan Testifies for Senate Bill 297," Mortensen & Milne law firm, www.mortmilnelaw.com/news/senate-bill-297

[8] simonlawpc.com/results/illinois-jury-awards-535m-sexual-assault-at-uhs-psychiatric-facility/; "Jury delivers $360 million verdict in trial against Cumberland Hospital, former medical director," WTVR CBS 6 News, 1 Oct. 2024; Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Katie Thomas, "Acadia Hospitals Reach $20 Million Settlement With Justice Dept." The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/health/acadia-doj-settlement-fbi.html; "Acadia Healthcare Company Inc. to Pay $19.85M to Settle Allegations Relating to Medically Unnecessary Inpatient Behavioral Health Services," U.S. Department of Justice, 26 Sept. 2024, www.justice.gov/opa/pr/acadia-healthcare-company-inc-pay-1985m-settle-allegations-relating-medically-unnecessary

[9] "Mental health and human rights," Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 14 Jan. 2025, Point B. 20, Page 6, docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/58/38