An exhibit exposing human rights violations in psychiatry has opened in Austin, TX, drawing attention to historical abuses and ongoing concerns over forced treatment and drugging. The display, presented by the non-profit Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), features graphic panels and video excerpts from the documentary Psychiatry: An Industry of Death. Visitors have found the information informative and impactful.
The exhibit traces the history of psychiatry from false scientific claims that humans could be treated as animals, through brutal treatments like lobotomies and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), to the modern era of widespread psychotropic drug prescriptions. “Knowing history is supposed to be the best protection against history repeating itself,” said Lee Spiller, Director of the Texas chapter of CCHR. “Ironically, and in spite of global efforts to reduce force and coercion in psychiatric treatment, psychiatry seems bent on repeating such history.”
Nelson Linder, President of the Austin NAACP, emphasized the importance of human rights. “There has never been a more important time to promote human rights,” Linder said. “Working together, we can and should protect the rights of those accused of being mentally ill.” He added, “There is absolutely no reason that someone should lose basic human rights because of a label.”
Spiller highlighted CCHR’s long-standing collaboration with groups like the NAACP, recalling a protest less than 30 years ago against a psychiatrist who claimed foster children—predominantly Black and Brown, with African Americans overrepresented in foster care—were heavily drugged due to “bad gene pools.” “Psychiatry should have dispensed with these ideas centuries ago,” Spiller said.
Other speakers addressed parental rights in school mental health and the importance of rights education. One attendee shared how CCHR’s resources helped his family after a loved one was placed under emergency psychiatric detention. “The information we received from CCHR helped us to get through this and come out the other side,” he said. “I’m not happy about it, but the information from CCHR, and their calming influence made it bearable.”
The exhibit travels through major cities in the Western United States, warning parents and community members that psychiatric treatments can be harmful. There are 14 identical traveling exhibits in countries worldwide. For more information, visit the CCHR website, watch documentaries on the work of CCHR volunteers around the world, and view the film Psychiatry: An Industry of Death on the Scientology Network.
The exhibit underscores ongoing concerns about coercion in mental health treatment and the need to protect human rights. As Linder stated, “We will continue to speak. We must continue to have these conversations because the rights of people to live in peace and dignity depend on it.”
