CCHR says psychiatrists’ increasing reliance upon involuntary detention in psychiatric facilities and forced mental health treatment has caused a litany of harm and human rights violations.
Click here for more information: https://www.cchrint.org/2023/01/23/involuntary-commitment-forced-mental-health-treatment-violate-human-rights/
Citizens Commission on Human Rights International 6616 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90028, United States Website https://www.cchrint.org Phone +1-323-467-4242 Email media@cchr.org
Involuntary Commitment
and Forced Mental Health
Treatment Violate Human
Rights
The mental health industry watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights
International says involuntary commitment and forced treatment policies in the
U.S. are unworkable and violate World Health Organization direction to end
coercive psychiatric practices.
Increased use of involuntary commitment is a
measure that states are being advised to take
as a “solution” for everything from violence
prevention to getting displaced persons forced
into institutions. It is a failed, costly, and often
harmful policy, CCHR says.
People subjected to coercive practices report feelings of
dehumanization, disempowerment, and being disrespected, according
to the World Health Organization (WHO).
A 2019 study reported people who felt they were
coerced into being hospitalized against their will were
more likely to attempt suicide after being released. A
2017 JAMA Psychiatry article found the risk of suicide
was 100 times greater than average immediately after
being released from a hospital.
WHO points to a series of United Nations guidelines and Human Rights Council resolutions
that call on countries to tackle the “unlawful or arbitrary institutionalization, overmedication and
treatment practices [in the field of mental health] that fail to respect…autonomy, will and
preferences.”
“We know that delivering those services in a
forced, institutional setting…actually has a very
low success rate. It doesn’t result in people
stabilizing over the long term,” said Anya
Lawler, a policy advocate at the Western
Center on Law and Poverty.
Forcing treatment on individuals or detaining them for longer periods in psychiatric institutions if they are
deemed “violent” adds to the gravy train. Cost estimates for a forced night in a hospital range from $1,100
to more than $3,000—or an annual expense of $400,000 to $1.1 million per person.
Whereas, according to the NYC Independent
Budget Office, on average, emergency
shelters cost $138 a day for single adults, or
more than $50,000 a year. Supportive
housing costs between $25,000 and
$36,000 per person per year.
A Comparative Study of the Right to Refuse Treatment in a Psychiatric Institution notes that
people with mental disabilities are subject to many types of behavioral therapies against
their will, including medications and restraints. This is especially true of people who are
institutionalized.
These intrusions are in violation of
fundamental international human rights
principles. People with mental disabilities
are often stripped of many of their basic
rights, including the right to determine what
is done to their bodies.
Courts have supported the right to refuse treatment based on the Fourth
Amendment’s right to privacy and/or the substantive due process right
to bodily integrity.
WHO acknowledges how the need to change forced
mental health treatment policy may be daunting to
governments. However, “Although challenging, it is
important for countries…to eliminate practices that
restrict the right to legal capacity, such as involuntary
admission and treatment...,” it states.
Find Out More at https://www.cchrint.org
and Forced Mental Health
Treatment Violate Human
Rights
The mental health industry watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights
International says involuntary commitment and forced treatment policies in the
U.S. are unworkable and violate World Health Organization direction to end
coercive psychiatric practices.
Increased use of involuntary commitment is a
measure that states are being advised to take
as a “solution” for everything from violence
prevention to getting displaced persons forced
into institutions. It is a failed, costly, and often
harmful policy, CCHR says.
People subjected to coercive practices report feelings of
dehumanization, disempowerment, and being disrespected, according
to the World Health Organization (WHO).
A 2019 study reported people who felt they were
coerced into being hospitalized against their will were
more likely to attempt suicide after being released. A
2017 JAMA Psychiatry article found the risk of suicide
was 100 times greater than average immediately after
being released from a hospital.
WHO points to a series of United Nations guidelines and Human Rights Council resolutions
that call on countries to tackle the “unlawful or arbitrary institutionalization, overmedication and
treatment practices [in the field of mental health] that fail to respect…autonomy, will and
preferences.”
“We know that delivering those services in a
forced, institutional setting…actually has a very
low success rate. It doesn’t result in people
stabilizing over the long term,” said Anya
Lawler, a policy advocate at the Western
Center on Law and Poverty.
Forcing treatment on individuals or detaining them for longer periods in psychiatric institutions if they are
deemed “violent” adds to the gravy train. Cost estimates for a forced night in a hospital range from $1,100
to more than $3,000—or an annual expense of $400,000 to $1.1 million per person.
Whereas, according to the NYC Independent
Budget Office, on average, emergency
shelters cost $138 a day for single adults, or
more than $50,000 a year. Supportive
housing costs between $25,000 and
$36,000 per person per year.
A Comparative Study of the Right to Refuse Treatment in a Psychiatric Institution notes that
people with mental disabilities are subject to many types of behavioral therapies against
their will, including medications and restraints. This is especially true of people who are
institutionalized.
These intrusions are in violation of
fundamental international human rights
principles. People with mental disabilities
are often stripped of many of their basic
rights, including the right to determine what
is done to their bodies.
Courts have supported the right to refuse treatment based on the Fourth
Amendment’s right to privacy and/or the substantive due process right
to bodily integrity.
WHO acknowledges how the need to change forced
mental health treatment policy may be daunting to
governments. However, “Although challenging, it is
important for countries…to eliminate practices that
restrict the right to legal capacity, such as involuntary
admission and treatment...,” it states.
Find Out More at https://www.cchrint.org