CCHR Urges U.S. Reform as Global Court Momentum Builds Against Forced Psychiatry
LOS ANGELES, Calif., June 16, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — In what is being widely reported as a landmark human rights decision, Italy's Constitutional Court in May 2025 struck down part of the country's decades-old psychiatric law—Article 35 of Law 833/1978—declaring some of its provisions for involuntary detainment unconstitutional. The ruling affirms that individuals subjected to compulsory psychiatric hospitalization must have the right to challenge such detention in court with legal representation.[1] The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), based in Los Angeles, hailed the decision as an essential step towards achieving human rights in the mental health field. CCHR said its chapters worldwide are intensifying efforts to urge courts and lawmakers to follow suit and ultimately abolish forced psychiatric hospitalization and treatment. The group called on the United States to replicate—and expand—such protections.
In the U.S., the practice of forced psychiatric detainment has sharply escalated. According to David Cohen, professor of social welfare at UCLA's Luskin School, involuntary psychiatric detentions have increased at a rate three times higher than population growth in recent years.[2]
A 2023 report, Involuntary Civil Commitment: Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Protections, posted on Congress.gov, underscores that such commitments 'implicate constitutional concerns and constraints under the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution,' particularly regarding the liberty interests of confined individuals. Yet, it notes the U.S. Supreme Court has never conclusively ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees all such protections.[3]
While the Italian court ruling is significant, CCHR notes that it stops short of banning Trattamento Sanitario Obbligatorio (TSO), the Italian legal framework for compulsory psychiatric hospitalization.[4] The U.S. similarly authorizes involuntary psychiatric treatment through legislative orders. In both countries, forced interventions remain legal despite mounting ethical criticism.
Coercion in mental health settings has increasingly drawn global condemnation. Critics argue that forced psychiatric treatment fundamentally violates human dignity and autonomy. A 2023 study in BMC Psychiatry concluded that coercion is incompatible with human rights and 'should be avoided as far as possible.'[5] That same year, The Lancet warned that coercive psychiatric practices override patients' fundamental rights, and that approaches to reduce coercion are possible, and the cost of implementing them is minimal compared to the damage caused by forced interventions.[6]
Italy's decision follows another recent victory involving CCHR efforts in Europe. In Hungary, CCHR collaborated with legal experts to secure a Constitutional Court ruling that found Parliament had failed to provide legal avenues for individuals unlawfully detained in psychiatric facilities to seek compensation. Following sustained advocacy by CCHR Hungary, others, the Court and the President of the Republic, a new regulation was enacted on December 20, 2024, guaranteeing—for the first time—the legal right to compensation for victims of unlawful psychiatric detention.[7]
CCHR's international work continues to gain recognition. On June 2, 2025, New Zealand CCHR volunteer Victor Boyd was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit by King Charles III. The honor recognized his 50-year campaign with CCHR to expose coercive psychiatric practices, particularly those used against children at the now-closed Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital's Child and Adolescent Unit. Boyd's relentless advocacy through CCHR helped prompt a formal government acknowledgement of the abuse and torture carried out by a psychiatrist heading the unit. The award is endorsed by the New Zealand Prime Minister and the Parliamentary Cabinet.[8]
Momentum is also growing at the global policy level. The World Health Organization (WHO) released its Guidance on Mental Health Policy and Strategic Action Plan in April 2025, recommending the prohibition of involuntary psychiatric practices—including forced hospitalization and treatment—and affirming individuals' right to refuse such treatment. The WHO and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have repeatedly called for mental health systems to move away from coercion and adopt rights-respecting, support-based alternative approaches.
These international reforms are grounded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which Italy ratified in 2009. The CRPD explicitly rejects coercive interventions in mental health care. Its General Comment No. 1 affirms that all individuals—regardless of disability status—retain full legal capacity and must be supported, not substituted, in making decisions about their lives and health.[9]
About CCHR: Since its founding in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz, CCHR has worked alongside survivors, whistleblowers, and international legal experts to expose systemic psychiatric abuse and advocate for transparent, non-coercive mental health care. The growing international rulings, government acknowledgements, and awards highlight a turning tide—and CCHR says now is the time for the United States to implement legal reforms that respect the rights, liberty, and dignity of all individuals in mental health settings.
To learn more, visit: https://www.cchrint.org/2025/06/13/italys-court-ruling-builds-against-forced-psychiatry/
Sources:
[1] 'CCHR Encourages Italy to Complete Full Mental Health Reform After Court Ruling on Forced Treatment,' European Times, 5 June 2025, https://europeantimes.news/2025/06/cchr-italy-full-mental-health-reform-court-ruling-forced-treatment/
[2] https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/656273520/new-who-mental-health-guideline-condemns-coercive-psychiatric-practices; 'Study finds involuntary psychiatric detentions on the rise,' UCLA Newsroom, 3 Nov. 2020, https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/involuntary-psychiatric-detentions-on-the-rise
[3] Hannah-Alise Rogers, 'Involuntary Civil Commitment: Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Protections,' Health Care; Law, Constitution & Civil Liberties, 24 May 2023, https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47571
[4] 'CCHR Encourages Italy to Complete Full Mental Health Reform After Court Ruling on Forced Treatment,' European Times, 5 June 2025, https://europeantimes.news/2025/06/cchr-italy-full-mental-health-reform-court-ruling-forced-treatment/
[5] Eva Brekke, et al., 'Patients' experiences with coercive mental health treatment in Flexible Assertive Community Treatment: a qualitative study,' BMC Psychiatry, 18 Oct. 2023, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37853402/
[6] Beate Wild, et al., 'Reduction of coercion in psychiatric hospitals: how can this be achieved?' The Lancet, Dec. 2023, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(23)00214-4/fulltext
[7] https://www.cchrint.org/2025/05/17/apa-faces-outrage-child-deaths-mental-health-failure/
[8] 'King's Birthday Honours: Advocate dedicates award to survivors of abuse in care,' RNZ, 2 June 2025, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/562817/king-s-birthday-honours-advocate-dedicates-award-to-survivors-of-abuse-in-care; 'Abuses in psychiatric care: The shameful story of the Lake Alice Child and Adolescent unit in Aotearoa New Zealand,' Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 2023 Sep;57(9):1193-1197, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10466991/; https://www.cchrint.org/2021/07/01/cchrs-work-acknowledged-nz-inquiry-lake-alice-psychiatric-child-torture/
[9] 'CCHR Encourages Italy to Complete Full Mental Health Reform After Court Ruling on Forced Treatment,' European Times, 5 June 2025, https://europeantimes.news/2025/06/cchr-italy-full-mental-health-reform-court-ruling-forced-treatment/
MULTIMEDIA
Image link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-0617-s2p-cchrrulings-300dpi.jpg
Image caption: The growing international rulings, government acknowledgements, and awards highlight a turning tide—and now is the time for the United States to implement legal reforms that respect the rights, liberty, and dignity of all individuals in mental health settings. – CCHR International
NEWS SOURCE: Citizens Commission on Human Rights
Keywords: General Editorial, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, CCHR Italy, human rights decision, Italy Constitutional Court, Forced Psychiatry, LOS ANGELES, Calif.
This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Citizens Commission on Human Rights) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P126957 APNF0325A
To view the original version, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/cchr-urges-u-s-reform-as-global-court-momentum-builds-against-forced-psychiatry/
© 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA.
RIGHTS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY LEGITIMATE MEDIA OUTLET - SUCH AS NEWSPAPER, BROADCAST OR TRADE PERIODICAL. MAY NOT BE USED ON ANY NON-MEDIA WEBSITE PROMOTING PR OR MARKETING SERVICES OR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT.
Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
British tourist catches Legionnaires' disease in Greece
A British tourist is in hospital after catching a serious lung disease while on an all-inclusive holiday in Greece. Donna Jobling, from west Hull, contracted Legionnaires' disease on the island of Crete and is in intensive care. The 57-year-old, who husband Sid, 69, remains at her bedside, was travelling with easyJet Holidays, which said it had moved other customers out of the hotel where she was staying. "We're so sorry to hear that Ms Jobling is unwell, and we're continuing to support her and her family in every way we can," a spokesperson said. Legionella bug delays £41m health centre opening Ms Jobling has been in an intensive care unit at Venizeleio Hospital in Heraklion since 11 June, her niece Klaire Keita told the BBC. On 5 June she developed a chest infection which triggered acute respiratory failure and pneumonia, her niece added. "We just don't know what's going to happen. We're just trying to do the best we can for her," she said. Fighting back tears, Ms Keita added: "She is just the best person you could ever hope to meet." She said her aunt was "stable but under constant watch". Ms Jobling and her husband were holidaying with another couple, Paula and Nicholas Mason, also from Hull. They returned home on 12 June - the day the couples were meant to fly back together. Ms Mason, 52, said: "I felt awful having to leave my best friend there. "Donna has a heart of gold. She would do anything for anyone. We are all still in shock." Ms Mason said photographs of her friend taken at the start of the break showed her "looking really healthy". "Nicolas and Sid had booked the trip as a surprise for us women. Donna was really looking forward to it." Following Ms Jobling's diagnosis, the Greek health ministry issued a statement to hoteliers in Crete to "raise awareness among all those involved in monitoring the quality of water for human consumption especially with regard to Legionella". The source of the disease has not yet been identified but easyJet Holidays has moved other customers out of the hotel they were staying in, as a precaution. "We've also been in touch with customers who recently returned home from this hotel, to inform them of necessary guidance," a spokesperson said. "Our customers' safety and wellbeing is our top priority, and we'll continue to do all we can to support them." It is understood the hotel affected is currently working with local health authorities on the island. An emergency alert has been issued on the island by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control following the diagnosis. Legionnaires' disease is a lung infection most commonly contracted through the inhalation of water droplets containing Legionella bacteria. It is usually caught in places such as hotels, hospitals and office buildings from contaminated air conditioning systems, but can also be contracted from spa pools and hot tubs. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a high temperature and chest pain or discomfort, particularly when breathing or coughing. The disease can induce pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses, which can be life-threatening. Smokers, people over the age of 50 and those who are immunocompromised or have chronic lung conditions are at higher risk of developing the disease. A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British woman in hospital in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities." Legionella bug closed mental health ward - report
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sword Health Now Valued At $4 Billion, Announces Expansion Into Mental Health Services
Sword Health announced Tuesday that it had raised $40 million in a recent funding round, giving it a $4 billion valuation. Founded in 2015, the healthcare startup has focused on helping people manage chronic pain at home. Using AI tools, the platform connects users with expert clinicians who then provide patients with tools for digital physical therapy, pelvic health, and overall mobility health. However, the company says this new round of funding will largely go towards developing a mental health arm of its program called Mind. Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Peter Thiel turned $1,700 into $5 billion—now accredited investors are eyeing this software company with similar breakout potential. Learn how you can "Today, nearly 1 billion people worldwide live with a mental health condition. Yet care remains fragmented, reactive, and inaccessible," Sword said in the announcement. "Mind redefines mental health care delivery with a proactive, 24/7 model that integrates cutting-edge AI with licensed, Ph.D-level mental health specialists. Together, they provide seamless, contextual, and responsive support any time people need it, not just when they have an appointment." Sword CEO Virgílio Bento told CNBC, "[Mind] really a breakthrough in terms of how we address mental health, and this is only possible because we have AI." Users will be equipped with a wearable device called an M-band, which will measure their environmental and physiological signals so that experts can reach out proactively as needed. The program will also offer access to services like traditional talk therapy. Bento told CNBC that a human is "always involved" in patients care in each of its programs, and that AI is not making any clinical decisions. Trending: Maximize saving for your retirement and cut down on taxes: . For example, if a Sword patient has an anxiety attack, AI will identify it through the wearable and bring it to the attention of a clinician, who can then provide an appropriate care plan. "You have an anxiety issue today, and the way you're going to manage is to talk about it one week from now? That just doesn't work," Bento told CNBC. "Mental health should be always on, where you have a problem now, and you can have immediate help in the moment." According to Bento, Sword Mind already has a waiting list, and is being tested by some of its partners who appreciate it's "personalized approach and convenience." "We believe that it is really the future of how mental health is going to be delivered in the future, by us and by other companies," he told CNBC. "AI plays a very important role, but the use of AI — and I think this is very important — needs to be used in a very smart way." The rest of the cash raised in the funding round, which was led by General Catalyst, will go towards acquisitions, global expansion, and AI development, Sword Health says. Read Next: Here's what Americans think you need to be considered Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Sword Health Now Valued At $4 Billion, Announces Expansion Into Mental Health Services originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rogers County Youth Services to soon produce first grads of diversion program
The first two kids referred to Rogers County Youth Services' grant-funded juvenile diversion program will soon graduate. Like GRAND Mental Health's Release to Recovery program, Youth Services' juvenile diversion program is drawing from about $578,346 Rogers County has received since September 2024 from the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Executive Director Herb McSpadden and two other RCYS personnel involved in the program gave a presentation on it to the Rogers County Commissioners at their Monday meeting. "We have an unproportionately high rate of kids who are going through the juvenile justice system and juvenile detention [in Rogers County], and so our goal is to work with law enforcement for some of those kids through the municipal courts, in the district courts and into the diversion program," McSpadden said. Shala Padilla is RCYS' juvenile diversion specialist. Padilla said since starting this role in January, 40 kids have been referred to her by the state Office of Juvenile Affairs, law enforcement and school resource officers. Padilla, licensed as a clinical social worker, said she assesses each kid to get insight into their mental health, family life and other issues that may have caused them to get in trouble. "Once that assessment is completed, we present it to our community accountability board," Padilla said. "Right now, that consists of us, GRAND Mental Health, Volunteers for Youth, Light of Hope and CREOKS. So we are reviewing the referral, we are reviewing that assessment that we completed, then we are taking our time and completing a 90-day service plan for that juvenile and that family to enter into." Padilla said the plan might include counseling, community service, parenting classes and more. Upon completing everything prescribed in the plan within 90 days, Padilla said the juvenile will see their charges essentially dropped. She said 14 kids are going through the program right now, and two will graduate at the end of the month. McSpadden said he spent a year working in a juvenile detention facility about 20 years ago, and he gathered from that experience that not all kids who break the law belong there. "If we can identify those ones who aren't a risk to the community and keep them at home, it's a cost savings, both to the county and the state, but it also shows long term, we're providing much better care for your kids and families," McSpadden said. RCYS is also working with kids in juvenile detention, per the Office of Juvenile Affairs' request. The agency recently hired Tracy Goad, who worked for the juvenile affairs office for 31 years, to reach this population. Goad's job is to work with the kids, their families and Judge Stephen Pazzo to develop a re-entry plan for the juvenile to follow upon release. She said this helps the court system move faster and gets kids get home and connected to local support services sooner. District 2 Commissioner and Chairman Steve Hendrix asked McSpadden if he knew why a disproportionate amount of Rogers County kids end up in juvenile detention; McSpadden said he hasn't gotten a chance to probe this question. "Historically, that's been the case, and I honestly couldn't tell you why," McSpadden said. "I haven't gotten into the weeds of why that occurs, but working with law enforcement, our school resource officers have been fantastic to identify these kids that aren't violent offenders. They don't need to go to district court, and so they're making those referrals to us."
