All 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. have laws that permit involuntary psychiatric treatment, based on several landmark Supreme Court cases. The premise is safety for society, yet the results are catastrophic.
Empirical evidence
A 2014 Danish registry study analyzing 2,429 suicides found that increased contact with psychiatric staff—often involving involuntary treatment– resulted in worse outcomes.1 Compared to individuals who had not received any psychiatric care in the previous year, the suicide risk was
- 6 times higher for those prescribed psychiatric medication
- 8 times higher for those with outpatient psychiatric visits,
- 28 times higher for those who had psychiatric emergency room visits
- 44 times higher for individuals who had been hospitalized in a psychiatric facility.
Should people really be subjected to this risk involuntarily? If the goal of forced treatment is to make people quieter, suicide certainly accomplishes that.
Personal story
A psychotherapist with over 16 years of experience in her career, Kelli F., shared her personal story of forced treatment as a child, giving personal insight into the barbaric truth:2
- Kelli says, “The best metaphor I can compare the forced experience to…is rape.”
- Kelli goes on to say that her father, skeptical of pharmaceuticals at that time, questioned whether the drugs were making his daughter’s state worse – the result was his being labeled with “paranoid personality disorder” and a Child Protective Services report.
- Kelli states, “Once a child is in the system if the parent disagrees with treatment, they are then given a diagnosis as well for thinking differently than the physician.”
A History of Coercion and Abuse
Forced psychiatric treatment is not just a modern controversy—there is a long history of abuse, neglect, and human rights violations. From the mid-20th century’s lobotomies and electroshock therapies to the widespread use of chemical restraints today, psychiatry has prioritized control over actual healing.3 Though their methods have advanced, now using drugs to obtain their means, their results have not.
The Illusion of Help
Forced psychiatric treatment is promoted as a lifeline, but the reality is far darker—it strips away autonomy, inflicts trauma, and leads to devastating consequences. The evidence is clear: coercion does not heal; it harms
If a system built on force truly worked, why would it result in silence, suffering, and death? The answer is simple: this isn’t about care; it’s about control. Until psychiatrists are held accountable for their history of coercion and harm, no one is truly safe.
What Can be Done About It
Know your rights: To protect yourself and others from forced psychiatric treatment, it is crucial to know your legal rights. Each state has laws concerning involuntary commitment, emergency holds, and court-ordered treatment. Understanding the criteria for these actions, your right to legal representation, and how to challenge an involuntary hold can make all the difference. Educate yourself using resources like CCHR to stay aware of local mental health laws, advance directives, and patient advocacy resources—because awareness is the first defense against coercion.
Citations
1 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24647741/ Hjorthøj CR, Madsen T, Agerbo E, et al. Risk of suicide according to level of psychiatric treatment: a nationwide nested case-control study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2014;49:1357–65
2 https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/06/forced-psychiatric-treatment-of-a-child/
3 https://online.csp.edu/resources/article/history-of-mental-illness-treatment/ (A History of Mental Illness Treatment: Obsolete Practices, 2020)
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