The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) has launched a traveling exhibit documenting historical abuses in psychiatry, with particular focus on what organizers describe as an epidemic of psychotropic drug prescriptions to children. The exhibit features graphic panels and video excerpts from the documentary Psychiatry: An Industry of Death, tracing what CCHR calls false scientific claims that humans are animals through brutal treatments like lobotomies to current practices of mass drugging. During the exhibit's opening, veteran Los Angeles Unified School District special education teacher Diane Lewis spoke about her concerns regarding psychiatric labeling and drugging in schools. "I'm very concerned for the children and the education they are getting," Lewis stated. "Too many children are coming in who had a label of ADHD or another psychiatric label. I could not teach them when they are on the drugs."
Exhibit panels highlighted data showing over 20 million children on mind-altering drugs, with CCHR linking this to increased violence and suicide among young people. Organizers claim the drastic rise in school shootings has been traced directly to psychiatric drug use by perpetrators. The latest CCHR documentary, Prescription for Violence, documents these claims and was available free to visitors. According to exhibit materials, despite billions spent annually on psychiatric treatments, the industry offers zero cures while contributing to societal problems including drug addiction, homelessness, incarceration in mental institutions, and grief. The traveling exhibit, one of 14 identical exhibits worldwide, warns parents and community members that psychiatric treatments kill.
The exhibit's importance lies in its challenge to mainstream psychiatric practices and its documentation of what organizers view as systemic failures in mental health treatment. By highlighting historical abuses alongside current prescription practices, the exhibit raises fundamental questions about the ethics and effectiveness of psychiatric interventions, particularly concerning vulnerable populations like children. The connection drawn between psychiatric drug use and societal violence represents a significant critique of current mental health paradigms, suggesting that widely accepted treatments may be contributing to rather than alleviating social problems. This perspective matters because it challenges conventional wisdom about mental health treatment and raises urgent questions about the long-term consequences of widespread psychotropic drug prescriptions, especially for developing children whose brains and futures may be permanently affected by these interventions.
For more information about the organization's work, visitors can visit the CCHR website or watch documentaries including Psychiatry: An Industry of Death available through various channels. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights was co-founded in 1969 by psychiatry professor Dr. Thomas Szasz and the Church of Scientology, with commissioners including medical professionals, lawyers, legislators, and civil rights representatives.
