The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) International protested outside the American Psychiatric Association’s annual convention in San Francisco on May 16, urging adoption of policies to eliminate coercive mental health interventions, including electroshock treatment and psychotropic drugs linked to violent side effects. The organization expressed concern about psychiatric associations supporting electroconvulsive therapy (ECT or electroshock) on children and its application without consent. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture has classified non-consensual electroshock as a form of torture, and the World Health Organization has stated there are no indications for its use in minors and it should be prohibited.
A new CCHR report examined 145 cases of senseless violence linked to individuals taking or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs, resulting in 720 deaths and 1,602 injuries. Notable cases include a 10-year-old California boy on an antidepressant who stabbed his 12-year-old friend to death in 2012, and a 6-year-old Virginia boy on ADHD drugs who shot and wounded his teacher in 2023. California trial attorney Brent Wisner stated that “long-term use of antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs allows dehumanization. It allows dark thoughts to take over, and violence can ensue.” His firm helped secure a 2001 verdict in which a jury found an antidepressant 80% responsible for a man killing his wife, daughter, and granddaughter, then himself, after just two days on the drug.
CCHR reviewed promotional materials from more than 50 psychiatric facilities offering ECT, finding many descriptions minimized potential risks for a procedure delivering 360 volts of electricity through the brain. Examples likened the procedure to “jump-starting a car battery” or turning a computer on and off. None disclosed all FDA-required adverse effects necessary for informed consent, including the requirement that manufacturers warn of long-term safety and effectiveness not being demonstrated. In a sample of five San Francisco-area hospitals, none disclosed the potential for permanent memory loss or the need for neuropsychological testing before, during, and after treatment. Relapse rates following ECT range up to 84%, often leading to ongoing maintenance sessions. Despite substantial investment—$139.6 billion on mental health and substance use services in 2021, representing a 241% increase since 2000—mental health outcomes remain exceedingly poor.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.financialcontent.com/article/247pressrelease-2026-5-18-cchr-highlights-concerns-over-coercive-and-failed-140-billion-mental-health-practices-at-psychiatric-convention