The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) of Sacramento hosted the grand opening of its global traveling exhibit, “Psychiatry: An Industry of Death,” on Saturday, August 2 in Old Sacramento. The free exhibit, which ran through September 10, drew more than 1,000 visitors and aimed to raise public awareness about psychiatric coercion and promote mental health reform.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony featured keynote remarks from Eric Eisenhammer, energy consumer advocate and local business owner, and Edrine Ddungu, Ruling Elder for the North Central California Presbytery.
The exhibit was organized to highlight concerns identified in an October 2023 joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which stated that coercion remains a core component of many mental health laws. The report describes practices such as involuntary hospitalization, involuntary medication, involuntary electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), seclusion, and physical, chemical, or mechanical restraint, and warns that these “can inflict severe pain and suffering… impede recovery and lead to substantial trauma and even death.”
Mr. Ddungu spoke about what he described as increasing pressure on parents to approve psychiatric medications for their children, emphasizing the need to protect parental rights. “As parents, we need to have the right to control the care our children receive,” he said.
Mr. Eisenhammer discussed his own experiences and the impact of psychiatric labeling, cautioning that such diagnoses and treatments can worsen depression. “I wish that 40-year-old me could go back in time and tell 20-year-old me not to believe the labels and to realize that he has a good future ahead of him,” he said.
The exhibit’s documentary presentations and displays draw from more than 40 years of CCHR’s investigations into psychiatric practices, covering issues such as the use of psychiatric drugs in children, the relationship between psychiatric medications and acts of violence, and the historical role of psychiatry in discriminatory policies.
Founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and the late Dr. Thomas Szasz, Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse, CCHR states that it investigates and seeks to expose human rights violations in the field of mental health. One of the group’s guiding principles is that “human rights must become a fact, not an idealistic dream” as originated by Humanitarian L Ron Hubbard,
Attendees of the Sacramento exhibit described it as informative and thought-provoking, with many noting that it reinforced their concerns about current mental health practices.
For more information about CCHR and its initiatives, visit www.cchrint.org.
About the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is a nonprofit mental health watchdog organization co-founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Dr. Thomas Szasz. CCHR’s stated mission is to investigate and expose human rights violations in the field of mental health and to promote reforms that safeguard individual freedoms.
