News

Study Reveals that Anxiety, Depression and PTSD may be Adaptive Responses to Adversity Not Mental Disorders
As reported in an article in Forbes titled, Researchers Doubt That Certain Mental Disorders Are Disorders At All, a recent study questioned the validity of labeling depression, anxiety and even ADHD as mental disorders. [1] The researchers in the study based their...

Recent Study Calls Psychological Assessments “Junk Science”
In a campaign to remove the stigma attached to mental illness, advocates have created numerous observance days, weeks and months which is why August is known as “National Health Center Week”. This observance week focuses on treatment and education with the underlying...

Mental Health Watchdog Reaches Over 330,000 in Campaign to Protect Parental Rights
Recognized across the state for their work in helping parents whose children have been taken to a psychiatric facility for involuntary examination under Florida’s mental health law, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) has launched a social media campaign...

Tens of Thousands of Children Detained for Involuntary Psychiatric Examination Annually
The number of children taken into custody for an involuntary psychiatric examination has been steadily increasing in Florida for almost two decades and according to the Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), this steady increase is...

Mental Health Watchdog Warns Against Psychotropic Drug Self-Care During Pandemic
Based on documented studies, the Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a watchdog organization that investigates and exposes abuse within the mental health industry, is warning the public about the dangers of psychotropic drug...

Mental Health Watchdog Renews Call for a Ban on Electroshock Device
In the wake of a recent study published in the journal Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry calling for the use of electroshock treatment (ECT) to be suspended immediately due to the risk of side effects such as brain damage, the Florida chapter of the mental...

Over 260,000 Reached in Campaign to Educate Parents on Their Rights
Earlier this year the Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) launched a social media campaign designed to provide summaries of some of the legal concepts, rights, and facts relating to certain important student and parental rights. “We began...

Watchdog Calling for Reform During National Minority Mental Health Month
Observed during July every year, National Minority Mental Health Month is supposed to raise awareness on mental health issues and research into the topic reveals numerous articles on how minorities are “underserved”. However, information published by the Citizens...

Florida’s Emergency Psychiatric Hold is a Human Rights Violation
Once again Florida made headlines when Reason, the nation's leading libertarian magazine, published an investigative report on police in schools. While the story was mostly focused on School Resource Officers it also covered the abusive use of Florida’s short-term...

Mental Health Watchdog Calls for Ban on Electroshock Device in Florida
In light of the fact that the FDA admits electroshock (ECT) can cause brain damage and death the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is calling for a ban on the device being used in Florida. [1] According to federal records, over 20,000 Americans received...

Mental Health Watchdog Reaches More Than 180,000 Through Parental Rights Campaign
As part of a campaign to educate parents on their rights, the Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a watchdog organization that exposes abuse in the mental health industry, launched a newly revised website earlier this year as part of a...

Baker Act Reform is Needed in Order to Protect Parental Rights
The number of children being taken into custody for an involuntary psychiatric examination, called a Baker Act, has been steadily climbing across Florida for the past 17 years. And in February of this year, the trauma suffered during a Baker Act and the resultant harm...

Mental Health Month: A Marketing Campaign to Fuel the Psychiatric Industry
Since 1949 the month of May has been touted as Mental Health Month for the stated purpose of educating people on mental health issues. However, the real motive behind this marketing comes into question when messages such as “the 7 biggest parenting mistakes that...

Reliance on Suicide Risk Assessments May Increase Suicide Deaths
Due to COVID-19, mental health advocates are predicting that “suicide is likely to become a more pressing concern as the pandemic spreads and has longer-term effects on the general population, the economy, and vulnerable groups”. One solution being offered up is...

What are the rules for the Baker Act in Florida?
For a person to be taken into custody under a Baker Act three criteria (rules) must be met: There is reason to believe that the person is mentally ill. Because of his or her mental illness the person has refused voluntary examination or is unable to determine whether...