CCHR Supports Call to End Coercive Psychiatry at World Mental Health CongressU.S. human rights advocate addressed the World Federation for Mental Health Congress, urging global alignment with U.N. and W.H.O. mandates to abolish coercive psychiatric practices, including forced ECT and drugging.
Coercive Psychiatry Wfmh A powerful appeal to end coercive psychiatric practices—such as forced electroshock and drugging—was made at the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) World Mental Health Congress in Barcelos, Portugal. The address urged global alignment with the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (W.H.O.) mandates to abolish these violations of human rights. U.S. human-rights advocate of more than 30 years, Bruce Wiseman, told delegates that the congress theme—"Mental Health and Social Sustainability: Wiseman emphasized the necessity of abolishing coercive psychiatric practices in alignment with UN and W.H.O. mental-health guidance, which affirms that such measures violate fundamental human rights and can amount to torture. Yet, he warned, many nations remain out of step with these international standards. ECT and Child Abuse Concerns Wiseman cited alarming statistics showing that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) continues to be administered to minors and those committed involuntarily. The highest use among 10- to 18-year-olds occurs in the Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden, where children as young as six have been electroshocked. In the United States, five-year-olds have been subjected to ECT.[1] Some U.S. states—California and Texas—along with Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, have banned ECT on minors in accordance with W.H.O. recommendations.[ In a recent U.S. Appeals Court decision involving a Nebraska man who challenged the safety of electroshock devices, the court acknowledged evidence that ECT causes brain damage and permanent memory loss. Testimony from respected medical experts confirmed that the seizures induced by ECT are manifestations of brain injury and the efficacy of ECT in treating severe mental conditions has not been proven. Most importantly, the court recognized that permanent memory loss constitutes brain damage—an encouraging step toward achieving a global ban on this practice. Drugging, Institutionalization, and Restraint Deaths "Equally alarming is the escalating use of prescription psychotropic drugs on children, including antipsychotics," Forced psychiatric drugging, Wiseman noted, has been linked to a sixfold increase in suicide, while psychiatric hospitalization within the prior year raises suicide risk forty-fourfold. Across the United States[4], about 1.2 million people are involuntarily hospitalized each year—roughly two every minute.[5] Warning Against Coercive Legal Frameworks Wiseman also warned that the Council of Europe is advancing a punitive Additional Protocol to the Oviedo Convention, which, if adopted, would entrench involuntary commitment and forced treatment—the very abuses condemned under international law. An estimated 38% of those involuntarily admitted to institutions in Europe are subjected to forced drugging, seclusion, or restraint within four weeks of admission.[6] Wiseman concurred with CCHR that "Forced ECT, drugging, seclusion, restraint, and involuntary institutionalization constitute potential torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. These are not medical interventions— Survivors are often left physically harmed, cognitively impaired, and deeply traumatized. "Upholding autonomy, dignity, and liberty is non-negotiable. Rights-based alternatives that respect individual choice must urgently replace outdated, violent psychiatric practices." A Global Call to Action Wiseman urged WFMH to seize this World Congress as a historic opportunity— A longtime supporter of CCHR and other rights-based organizations, Wiseman has exposed psychiatric abuses in U.S. mental hospitals, prompting government reforms. He also helped CCHR secure a 2004 federal law that provides parents with information about psychiatric drug risks and prohibits schools from forcing children to take such drugs as a condition of education. Founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz, CCHR is a global mental-health watchdog dedicated to eradicating abuse and upholding human dignity in the field of mental health. Sources: [1] Olaf Rask, et al., "Electroconvulsive therapy in children and adolescents: [2] John Read, Ph.D., "Is It Time to Ban Electroconvulsive Therapy for Children? Research suggests that using electricity on developing brains is a bad idea," Psychology Today, 17 Dec, 2023, www.psychologytoday.com/ [3] Jasmine Demers, "Fatal failures: What happened in the final hours of Ja'Ceon Terry's life," Louisville Public Media, 19 July 2023, www.lpm.org/ [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/ [5] https://www.cchrint.org/ [6] www.cchrint.org/ End
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