Austin Exhibit Exposes Psychiatry's Abusive History and Human Rights Violations

A new traveling exhibit from the non-profit Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is making waves in Austin, TX, by exposing the history of abuses in psychiatry. The exhibit, which features graphic panels and video excerpts from the documentary Psychiatry: An Industry of Death, traces a disturbing timeline from the false science of treating humans as animals, through brutal procedures like lobotomies and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), to the modern era of mass psychotropic drugging. Lee Spiller, Director of CCHR's Texas chapter, warns that despite global efforts to reduce force and coercion, psychiatry seems determined to repeat its dark history. Nelson Linder, President of the Austin NAACP, emphasized the critical importance of protecting human rights for those labeled mentally ill, stating, "There is absolutely no reason that someone should lose basic human rights because of a label." The exhibit also highlights the coalition between CCHR and the NAACP, which dates back decades, including protests against a psychiatrist who claimed foster children—disproportionately Black and Brown—were heavily drugged due to "bad gene pools."

Other speakers at the exhibit's opening addressed parental rights in school mental health and the value of rights education. One attendee shared a personal story of how CCHR's rights education helped his family navigate an emergency psychiatric detention, calling the information "calming" and "bearable." The exhibit, which travels through major Western U.S. cities, issues a stark warning that psychiatric treatments can kill. There are 14 identical traveling exhibits worldwide, and the CCHR encourages visitors to learn more by visiting the CCHR website, watching documentaries on CCHR volunteers in countries around the world, or viewing Psychiatry: An Industry of Death on the Scientology Network. The commission's work is inspired by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, who urged exposing and abolishing physically damaging mental health practices.