The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) brought its traveling exhibit to the Twin Cities, opening at the Nova Event Hall in downtown St. Paul to an enthusiastic crowd. The exhibit, titled "Psychiatry an Industry of Death," features 14 graphic panels and 13 short documentaries that expose historical and ongoing abuses within the mental health field.
At Monday's ribbon-cutting ceremony, speakers detailed the human rights violations that occur during civil commitments, where patients are held against their will, drugged without informed consent, and subjected to other mistreatment under the guise of help. Dr. Patrice Nerad, the main speaker, called for the creation of a coalition to amend Minnesota's civil commitment laws, ensuring that patients are protected from harm. The CCHR Minnesota chapter will assist Dr. Nerad in establishing and guiding this coalition.
CCHR has served as an international watchdog over the psychiatric industry since 1969, working to change legislation that limits psychiatric overreach into education and society. The organization's latest documentary links psychiatric drugs to violence, including mass school shootings. For more information, visit the CCHR website or watch documentaries on the work of CCHR volunteers and 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. Its commissioners include physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, lawyers, legislators, and civil rights representatives, all inspired by L. Ron Hubbard's commitment to ending harmful practices in mental health.
