UN Committee Condemns Forced Psychiatric Treatment; CCHR Urges U.S. Reform

The United Nations Committee for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has issued a landmark Open Letter reiterating that involuntary detention and treatment in mental health care are incompatible with international human rights law. The Committee emphasized that coercion, even as a last resort, violates the CRPD and perpetuates institutional abuse. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a mental health watchdog, has welcomed this stance and is urging the United States to align its laws with these international standards. CCHR's International President, Jan Eastgate, highlighted that while the U.S. has not ratified the CRPD, citing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the ADA should be reformed to explicitly prohibit forced psychiatric practices. The CRPD Committee's Open Letter stresses that involuntary placement and treatment deny legal capacity, undermine liberty, and can amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, with no evidence of therapeutic benefit.

The urgency of these protections is underscored by alarming U.S. statistics: 1.2 million Americans are involuntarily committed each year, and a 2025 Federal Reserve Bank study found that involuntary hospitalization nearly doubles the risk of suicide or overdose within three months of release. Additionally, about 100,000 Americans receive electroshock treatment annually, often involuntarily, despite risks of memory loss and brain damage. In New York, a study on Kendra's Law found that forced outpatient treatment was more harmful than voluntary services. The misuse of restraints is also rampant, with a 141% increase in pharmacologic restraint among hospitalized children from 2016 to 2022, and recent deaths of a 7-year-old and a 16-year-old ruled homicides. The World Health Organization and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have also called for legislative reform to end coercion. CCHR, established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Dr. Thomas Szasz, has been a tireless advocate for patient rights, achieving over 190 reforms worldwide. Eastgate concluded that the U.S. cannot claim leadership on disability rights while allowing forced psychiatric practices, and must bring its laws into full alignment with international human rights standards.