The United Nations Committee for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has issued an Open Letter reiterating its opposition to the involuntary detention and treatment of individuals in the mental health system, stating that any form of coercion is incompatible with the Convention. The Committee's stance, which is without exception, challenges practices that many countries, including the United States, still permit.
Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) has welcomed this initiative and is calling for similar protections to be adopted in U.S. law. Jan Eastgate, CCHR's International President, noted that the U.S. has never ratified the CRPD, despite its influence on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Eastgate argues that the ADA should be reformed to explicitly prohibit forced psychiatric institutionalization and treatment, aligning with international human rights law.
The CRPD Committee's Open Letter makes several key points, including that involuntary placement and treatment are incompatible with the human rights model of disability, perpetuate institutional power imbalances, and lack clinical evidence of therapeutic benefits. It also highlights that coercion can lead to torture, ill-treatment, and even death, and that such practices are discriminatory and deny legal capacity.
The European Times reported that the CRPD "prohibits involuntary placement and involuntary treatment of persons with disabilities on the basis of disability, without exceptions." This aligns with the Committee's emphasis that coercion in mental health services is not a legitimate response to distress or crisis.
CCHR stresses the urgency of these human rights perspectives in the United States, where 1.2 million Americans are involuntarily committed to psychiatric facilities annually. A July 2025 Federal Reserve Bank of New York study found that individuals who were involuntarily hospitalized were nearly twice as likely to die by suicide or overdose within three months of release. Additionally, an estimated 100,000 Americans receive electroshock treatment annually, often involuntarily, despite documented risks.
A new evaluation of court-mandated mental health treatment in New York, known as "Kendra's Law," found that forced treatment was more harmful than voluntary services. Between 2016 and 2022, there was a 141% increase in the use of pharmacologic restraint among hospitalized children with mental health diagnoses. Physical restraints have also led to deaths, with recent cases resulting in homicide rulings and prosecution of staff.
The World Health Organization and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have also called for legislative reform to end coercion in mental health services, replace institutions with community support, and enshrine free and informed consent. Eastgate concluded that the U.S. can no longer claim leadership on disability rights while allowing forced psychiatric detention and treatment, and that U.S. law should be brought into full alignment with international standards.
CCHR, established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Dr. Thomas Szasz, has been instrumental in achieving hundreds of laws that empower patients with informed consent and legal representation against forced treatment.
