Trending...
- Invisible Wounds Foundation Launches Brain Health Collaborative to Combat Traumatic Brain Injury in Service Members and Prevent Military Suicides
- Z-CoiL Footwear, Albuquerque's Original Spring Shoe, Steps Into ABC's Shark Tank Season Premiere
- NIUFO Examines European MiCA Regulation's Impact on Digital Asset Trading Markets
CCHR urges UN action to end coercive psychiatric practices, citing child abuse, restraint deaths, and lack of penalties for offenders.
LOS ANGELES - illiNews -- By CCHR International
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) addressed the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on August 11, urging the global abolition of electroshock treatment (ECT), forced drugging, psychosurgery, and other coercive psychiatric practices—especially when used on children. CCHR told the Committee that these practices constitute sanctioned abuse, often amounting to torture, and continue with impunity due to weak or unenforced penalties against perpetrators.
Founded in 1969, CCHR has spent over five decades documenting and exposing psychiatric abuse and advocating for rights-based alternatives to coercion. The group commended the CRPD Committee for its leadership in advancing a human rights-based approach to mental health, aligned with World Health Organization (WHO) and UN guidance.
CCHR's Executive Director, Fran Andrews, detailed the organization's landmark legislative victories: the first U.S. ban on ECT for children under 12 in California (1976), Texas' ban for those under 16 (1993), and Western Australia's 2014 prohibition for children under 14—backed by criminal penalties. The Australian Capital Territory banned ECT under the age of 12 in 2015.
Watch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdHvELktwEA
Despite these precedents, ECT remains in use worldwide, including on very young children. In the U.S., children as young as five can still receive electroshock, with both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry promoting its use in minors.
International data underscores the scope of the problem. A 2022 review found significant ECT use on 10–18-year-olds in the Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden.[1]
In New Zealand, a government inquiry confirmed that children were subjected to electroshock without anesthetic at the now closed Lake Alice psychiatric hospital—treatment survivors described as torture and confirmed last year by the country's Prime Minister.
Prominent Australian psychiatrist Dr. Niall McLaren has stated unequivocally: "No psychiatrist needs to use ECT."[2]
More on illi News
CCHR President Jan Eastgate testified about the alarming rise in psychotropic drugging of children worldwide. A Lancet Psychiatry report confirmed global increases in prescribing, with the U.S. leading in prevalence rates for youth. Depending on the cohort, antipsychotic prescribing for children has surged by 50% to 200% over the past two decades.[3]
Many parents remain unaware of the risks—weight gain, metabolic changes, diabetes, tremor, sedation, and even sudden death. The antipsychotic risperidone, widely prescribed to children as young as four, has been linked to severe side effects, including gynecomastia (female breast growth in boys), sometimes requiring mastectomies.
In Spain, CCHR President Salvador Fernández warned of the ongoing prescription of ADHD stimulants such as methylphenidate, despite documented risks of suicidal behavior, psychosis, and cardiovascular complications.
Eastgate also addressed deaths of children as young as 7 in U.S. for-profit psychiatric hospitals from restraint, some ruled homicides. Yet prosecutions are rare, and facilities continue to operate, profiting from insurance coverage.
A New York Times investigation in September 2025 revealed that one of the largest private psychiatric hospital chains in the U.S. has detained individuals against their will to maximize insurance billing, prompting judicial intervention in some cases.
In Spain, Fernández testified that children are still subjected to involuntary hospitalization and prolonged mechanical and chemical restraints.
CCHR's written submission to the CRPD cited studies showing psychiatric hospitalization can raise suicide risk 44-fold, while forced psychiatric drugging increases the risk sixfold.[4] A July 2025 study found that those involuntarily hospitalized were nearly twice as likely to die by suicide or overdose within three months of discharge.[5]
A 2022 European study confirmed widespread use of mechanical and chemical restraints, with inconsistent regulations across countries.[6] In the U.S., a Harvard Law School report found that state hospitals continue to use forced ECT and other practices that may constitute torture under international law.[7]
CRPD's press release on its 33rd session acknowledged CCHR's evidence and concerns.[8]
Ms. Eastgate told the Committee:
"Electroshock, psychosurgery, forced drugging, seclusion, and restraint are not care—they are sanctioned abuse and must end. Upholding a person's autonomy, dignity, and liberty is non-negotiable. Rights-based alternatives must replace outdated, violent psychiatric practices."
More on illi News
CCHR urged the CRPD to call for:
"Decades of evidence show that coercion in mental health does not heal—it harms," Ms. Eastgate said. "Our work with legislators, courts, and survivors proves that laws can protect, but only if they are enforced. The CRPD's leadership is critical to ensuring countries replace coercion with compassionate, rights-respecting solutions."
About CCHR: It is a non-profit mental health industry watchdog, co-founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz. With chapters across six continents, CCHR has been instrumental in obtaining more than 190 laws worldwide to protect individuals from abusive psychiatric practices.
Sources:
[1] Olaf Rask, et al., "Electroconvulsive therapy in children and adolescents: results from a population‑based study utilising the Swedish National Quality Register," Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 13 Dec. 2022, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10682289/
[2] www.cchrint.org/2023/04/11/uk-legislators-call-for-ban-electroshock-treatment/ citing Niall McLaren, "No Psychiatrist Needs to Use ECT," 27 June 2017, www.madinamerica.com/2017/06/no-psychiatrist-needs-use-ect/
[3] "Editorial: Psychotropic overprescribing to youth: scope of the problem, causes, and possible solutions," Frontier Psychiatry, 6 May 2024, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11107288/
[4] Matthew M. Large, Christopher J. Ryan, "Disturbing findings about the risk of suicide and psychiatric hospitals," Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiology (2014), 49: 1353-1355, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-014-0912-2
[5] Natalia Emanuel, et al., "A Danger to Self and Others: Health and Criminal Consequences of Involuntary Hospitalization," Federal Reserve Bank of New York, staff reports, July 2025, www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/staff_reports/sr1158.pdf?sc_lang=en
[6] David O'Donovan, "Current trends in restrictive interventions in psychiatry: a European perspective," Cambridge University Press, 22 June 2022, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-advances/article/current-trends-in-restrictive-interventions-in-psychiatry-a-european-perspective/287C3187376FA5C987106BE108603819
[7] Matthew S. Smith & Michael Ashley Stein, "WHEN DOES MENTAL HEALTH COERCION CONSTITUTE TORTURE? …" Fordham International Law Journal, Vol 45:5, 2022, ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/ilj/vol45/iss5/2/, pp. 785-786
[8] "Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Opens Thirty-Third Session," Meeting Summaries, 11 Aug. 2025, www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/meeting-summary/2025/08/committee-rights-persons-disabilities-opens-thirty-third-session
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) addressed the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on August 11, urging the global abolition of electroshock treatment (ECT), forced drugging, psychosurgery, and other coercive psychiatric practices—especially when used on children. CCHR told the Committee that these practices constitute sanctioned abuse, often amounting to torture, and continue with impunity due to weak or unenforced penalties against perpetrators.
Founded in 1969, CCHR has spent over five decades documenting and exposing psychiatric abuse and advocating for rights-based alternatives to coercion. The group commended the CRPD Committee for its leadership in advancing a human rights-based approach to mental health, aligned with World Health Organization (WHO) and UN guidance.
CCHR's Executive Director, Fran Andrews, detailed the organization's landmark legislative victories: the first U.S. ban on ECT for children under 12 in California (1976), Texas' ban for those under 16 (1993), and Western Australia's 2014 prohibition for children under 14—backed by criminal penalties. The Australian Capital Territory banned ECT under the age of 12 in 2015.
Watch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdHvELktwEA
Despite these precedents, ECT remains in use worldwide, including on very young children. In the U.S., children as young as five can still receive electroshock, with both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry promoting its use in minors.
International data underscores the scope of the problem. A 2022 review found significant ECT use on 10–18-year-olds in the Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden.[1]
In New Zealand, a government inquiry confirmed that children were subjected to electroshock without anesthetic at the now closed Lake Alice psychiatric hospital—treatment survivors described as torture and confirmed last year by the country's Prime Minister.
Prominent Australian psychiatrist Dr. Niall McLaren has stated unequivocally: "No psychiatrist needs to use ECT."[2]
More on illi News
- Green Office Partner Named #1 Best Place to Work in Chicago by Crain's for 2025
- Prostate Cancer Survivor's Podcast Grows Audience And Builds Marketing Muscle
- CCHR, a Mental Health Watchdog Organization, Hosts Weekly Events Educating Citizens on Important Mental Health Issues
- Goat Skin Chicago Partners With Inkdnylon Custom Apparel to Strengthen Brand Growth
- "Leading From Day One: The Essential Guide for New Supervisors" Draws from 25+ Years of International Management Experience
CCHR President Jan Eastgate testified about the alarming rise in psychotropic drugging of children worldwide. A Lancet Psychiatry report confirmed global increases in prescribing, with the U.S. leading in prevalence rates for youth. Depending on the cohort, antipsychotic prescribing for children has surged by 50% to 200% over the past two decades.[3]
Many parents remain unaware of the risks—weight gain, metabolic changes, diabetes, tremor, sedation, and even sudden death. The antipsychotic risperidone, widely prescribed to children as young as four, has been linked to severe side effects, including gynecomastia (female breast growth in boys), sometimes requiring mastectomies.
In Spain, CCHR President Salvador Fernández warned of the ongoing prescription of ADHD stimulants such as methylphenidate, despite documented risks of suicidal behavior, psychosis, and cardiovascular complications.
Eastgate also addressed deaths of children as young as 7 in U.S. for-profit psychiatric hospitals from restraint, some ruled homicides. Yet prosecutions are rare, and facilities continue to operate, profiting from insurance coverage.
A New York Times investigation in September 2025 revealed that one of the largest private psychiatric hospital chains in the U.S. has detained individuals against their will to maximize insurance billing, prompting judicial intervention in some cases.
In Spain, Fernández testified that children are still subjected to involuntary hospitalization and prolonged mechanical and chemical restraints.
CCHR's written submission to the CRPD cited studies showing psychiatric hospitalization can raise suicide risk 44-fold, while forced psychiatric drugging increases the risk sixfold.[4] A July 2025 study found that those involuntarily hospitalized were nearly twice as likely to die by suicide or overdose within three months of discharge.[5]
A 2022 European study confirmed widespread use of mechanical and chemical restraints, with inconsistent regulations across countries.[6] In the U.S., a Harvard Law School report found that state hospitals continue to use forced ECT and other practices that may constitute torture under international law.[7]
CRPD's press release on its 33rd session acknowledged CCHR's evidence and concerns.[8]
Ms. Eastgate told the Committee:
"Electroshock, psychosurgery, forced drugging, seclusion, and restraint are not care—they are sanctioned abuse and must end. Upholding a person's autonomy, dignity, and liberty is non-negotiable. Rights-based alternatives must replace outdated, violent psychiatric practices."
More on illi News
- New Slotozilla Project Explores What Happens When the World Goes Silent
- The Two Faces of Charles D. Braun: How the Novel, Posthumously Yours, Came to Life
- JB Dondolo Global Call for Clean Water with Grammy-submitted single "We Are the Leaders"
- NEIU College of Business and Technology's bachelor's in Computer Science has been accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET
- Riviera Marketing & MAZ6R CLAN: Tribute to the Twin Tower Tragedy!
CCHR urged the CRPD to call for:
- A global ban on electroshock.
- Prohibition of forced drugging and the use of mechanical and chemical restraints.
- Strong criminal penalties for perpetrators of psychiatric abuse, with full enforcement.
- International adoption of WHO/UN human-rights-based mental health guidelines.
- Transparent reporting of psychiatric abuse cases, with public access to enforcement outcomes.
"Decades of evidence show that coercion in mental health does not heal—it harms," Ms. Eastgate said. "Our work with legislators, courts, and survivors proves that laws can protect, but only if they are enforced. The CRPD's leadership is critical to ensuring countries replace coercion with compassionate, rights-respecting solutions."
About CCHR: It is a non-profit mental health industry watchdog, co-founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz. With chapters across six continents, CCHR has been instrumental in obtaining more than 190 laws worldwide to protect individuals from abusive psychiatric practices.
Sources:
[1] Olaf Rask, et al., "Electroconvulsive therapy in children and adolescents: results from a population‑based study utilising the Swedish National Quality Register," Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 13 Dec. 2022, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10682289/
[2] www.cchrint.org/2023/04/11/uk-legislators-call-for-ban-electroshock-treatment/ citing Niall McLaren, "No Psychiatrist Needs to Use ECT," 27 June 2017, www.madinamerica.com/2017/06/no-psychiatrist-needs-use-ect/
[3] "Editorial: Psychotropic overprescribing to youth: scope of the problem, causes, and possible solutions," Frontier Psychiatry, 6 May 2024, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11107288/
[4] Matthew M. Large, Christopher J. Ryan, "Disturbing findings about the risk of suicide and psychiatric hospitals," Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiology (2014), 49: 1353-1355, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-014-0912-2
[5] Natalia Emanuel, et al., "A Danger to Self and Others: Health and Criminal Consequences of Involuntary Hospitalization," Federal Reserve Bank of New York, staff reports, July 2025, www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/staff_reports/sr1158.pdf?sc_lang=en
[6] David O'Donovan, "Current trends in restrictive interventions in psychiatry: a European perspective," Cambridge University Press, 22 June 2022, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-advances/article/current-trends-in-restrictive-interventions-in-psychiatry-a-european-perspective/287C3187376FA5C987106BE108603819
[7] Matthew S. Smith & Michael Ashley Stein, "WHEN DOES MENTAL HEALTH COERCION CONSTITUTE TORTURE? …" Fordham International Law Journal, Vol 45:5, 2022, ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/ilj/vol45/iss5/2/, pp. 785-786
[8] "Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Opens Thirty-Third Session," Meeting Summaries, 11 Aug. 2025, www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/meeting-summary/2025/08/committee-rights-persons-disabilities-opens-thirty-third-session
Source: Citizens Commission on Human Rights International
Filed Under: Government
0 Comments
Latest on illi News
- Author Charlene Wexler Earns Global Book Award for We Won't Go Back
- Chicago: Mayor Brandon Johnson Welcomes New Residents At Thrive Englewood
- HCSC Expands National Footprint for Medicare Advantage Products to 30 States
- Chicago-born 21-year-old Vidagua Founder Sells 100,000 Bottles Of Aguas Frescas In First Year
- September Career Reset - How Job Seekers Are Using WIOA to Pivot Before Year-End
- Fall Prep for Your Pond - Why September is the Best Month to Get Ready for Winter
- DivX Unveils New Educational Blog Series to Simplify MKV to MP4 Video Conversion
- CCHR: For Prevention, Families Deserve Truth From NIH Study on Psychiatric Drugs
- Sheets.Market Brings Professional Financial Model Templates to Entrepreneurs and Startups
- Webinar Announcement: Investing in the European Defense Sector—How the New Era of Uncertainty Is Redefining Investment Strategies
- AEVIGRA (AEIA) Analysis Reveals $350 Billion Counterfeit Market Driving Luxury Sector Toward Blockchain Authentication
- Brazil 021 Chicago Launches Kids' Jiu-Jitsu Program to Combat Bullying and Build Confidence
- Episode Highlight: Turning Tragedy into Purpose with Barry Adkins
- Nova Collective & Fairplay Merge to Redefine Bold, Human Learning
- AstroHermetic Launches Metaphysical Consulting to Help Organizations Unlock Hidden Insights
- Her Magic Mushroom Memoir Launches as a Binge-Worthy Novel-to-Podcast Experience
- Century Fasteners de Mexico Hires Saúl Pedraza Gómez as Regional Sales Manager in Mexico
- Georgia Misses the Mark Again on Sports Betting, While Offshore Sites Cash In
- $40 Price Target for $NRXP in H. C. Wainright Analyst Report on Leader in $3 Billion Suicidal Depression Market with Superior NRX 100 Drug Therapy
- Avoiding Foreclosure Without Bankruptcy — How 4Closure Rescue LLC Gives Families a Fresh Start