Nashville, Tennessee, 5th June 2025, ZEX PR WIRE, The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Nashville Chapter is calling on individuals who have experienced abuse in the field of mental health to come forward and seek justice. This renewed outreach follows recent protests at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting in California, where CCHR volunteers from across the country gathered to expose and oppose ongoing coercive practices in psychiatry.
“Too many people are harmed by involuntary treatment, over-drugging, and other abuses,” said Annette Freeman, spokesperson for the Nashville Chapter. “Now is the time for victims to speak up, and for the public to understand that real reform is needed in the mental health system.”
The protest in California gained attention for its scale and message: psychiatric abuse must end. CCHR volunteers held signs, handed out educational materials, and spoke with attendees and the public about documented cases of abuse and the need for informed consent and patient rights. The action echoed growing global condemnation of coercive psychiatric practices.
Even the World Psychiatric Association, World Health Organization, and United Nations have now called for an end to coercive practices such as involuntary commitment, forced drugging, and electroshock therapy without consent—practices that continue to be reported in the U.S. mental health system. These institutions call for an end to coercion and the development of mental health systems rooted in dignity and human rights.
CCHR Nashville is actively seeking individuals who have experienced:
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Involuntary hospitalization or forced treatment
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Physical or chemical restraints
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Misdiagnosis leading to harmful or unnecessary interventions
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Coercion, manipulation, or abuse by mental health professionals
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Any other violation of rights in the name of psychiatric care
“Our goal is justice and accountability,” said Freeman. “If you or someone you love has been harmed in the mental health system, we want to help.”
Victims, families, or whistleblowers can confidentially contact CCHR Nashville through the website at www.cchrnashville.org.
About the Citizens Commission on Human Rights:
CCHR is a nonprofit mental health watchdog dedicated to eradicating abuses committed under the guise of mental health. The Nashville Chapter works locally to ensure informed consent, ethical treatment, and the protection of fundamental human rights in all mental health practices.
