CCHR Exhibit Exposes Psychiatric Abuses in St. Paul, Calls for Reform

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) opened its traveling exhibit, "Psychiatry an Industry of Death," in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, at the Nova Event Hall on St Peter St. The exhibit features 14 graphic panels and 13 short documentaries that expose historical and current abuses in the mental health field. An opening ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday drew an excited crowd and featured guest speakers who highlighted the horrors of civil commitment, including patients being held against their will, drugged without informed consent, and subjected to human rights violations. Dr. Patrice Nerad, the main speaker, called for the formation of a coalition to change Minnesota's civil commitment laws to protect patients from harm in the name of help. The CCHR Minnesota chapter will assist in establishing and guiding this coalition.

CCHR, an international watchdog over the psychiatric industry since 1969, has worked globally to reform legislation that curtails psychiatric overreach into education and society. The exhibit's title reflects its content, which includes documentaries linking psychiatric drugs to violence, particularly mass shootings. The most recent documentary argues that psychiatric drugs are a cause of violence in society. For more information, visit the CCHR website, watch documentaries on the work of CCHR volunteers in countries around the world, and see the film Psychiatry: An Industry of Death on the Scientology Network. CCHR was co-founded in 1969 by psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz and the Church of Scientology, and its commissioners include physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, lawyers, legislators, government officials, educators, and civil rights representatives. The organization is inspired by L. Ron Hubbard's commitment to abolishing physically damaging practices in mental health.