News
What does it take to Baker Act someone in Florida?
There are three criteria that must be met in order for a person to be taken into custody under a Baker Act. A Baker Act can be initiated by judges, law enforcement officials, doctors or mental health professionals. For more information on the Baker Act click here.
What is the difference between Baker Act and Marchman Act?
The Baker Act is used to involuntarily commit individuals who are considered to be a danger to self or others due to mental illness. The Marchman Act is used to force a person who has a drug or alcohol addiction into treatment. For more information on the Baker Act...
Does a Baker Act go on your record?
Yes. There will be a medical record, a police record if law enforcement was involved and if a petition is filed for involuntary placement then also a court record. There is no procedure in the law to remove or seal the records of a Baker Act. For more information on...
Can a Baker Act refuse treatment?
Yes, a person can refuse treatment if it was determined during the initial examination that the person is competent to consent. If the person was deemed incompetent then the facility must to have a guardian advocate appointed. For more information on the Baker Act...
What happens if you get Baker Acted?
Usually a person who is Baker Acted is transported to a psychiatric facility by law enforcement for an initial examination by a psychiatrist. Once at the facility the person can be held involuntarily for up to 72 hours. Click here for more information on the Baker...
What are Parental Rights?
Even before the current pandemic scare, Florida parents have worried about protecting their children, particularly at school. The fact that children were being regularly taken from school without prior parental notice or agreement for involuntary psychiatric...
Six-year-old Allegedly Forcibly Drugged in Psychiatric Facility: CCHR Demanding Answers
With all the media coverage and outrage over six-year-old Nadia Falk’s forced stay and alleged drugging in a Florida psychiatric facility this February, a deeper question is raised. What is the justification for the psychiatric drugging of children, and especially the...
Baker Act Reform Continues to Leave Parents Out of the Solution
The mental health law in Florida, commonly called the Baker Act, allows for anyone, no matter their age, to be taken into custody for an involuntary psychiatric examination. This includes children and during 2017-2018 there were a staggering 36,078 involuntary...
Electroshock: Therapy or Torture? Exhibit Held in Tallahassee Rotunda
The Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a mental health watchdog that investigates and exposes abuses in the mental health industry, held a two-day exhibit on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as electroshock, in the Florida...
CCHR Encourages the Public to Report Psychiatric Abuse and Fraud
With the recent passage of the federal stimulus package, which allocated $425 million for mental health services and an additional $1.32 billion for community mental health centers, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International announced that they will be...
The Unworkability of Suicide Risk Assessments
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in young people in the US today and suicide risk assessment is often touted as the answer but experts in the field have repeatedly concluded that there is not any one scale that can predict who will commit suicide to any...
Parental Rights
Introduction On July 1, 2021, Florida's Parents' Bill of Rights became law. As a parent, you need to know and understand these rights. CCHR has created a series of 15-30 second videos to help explain some of these rights as well as a simple booklet that can be...
Mental Health Watchdog Hosts Legal Symposium Highlighting Baker Act Abuse Prevention
The Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) hosted its fifth conference on the Baker Act which has been notoriously featured in the headlines for the past few months due to very young children being taken into custody. The symposium, held at...
CCHR Calls Involuntary Psychiatric Examination of Children in Florida a Human Rights Abuse
Over the past two weeks there has been a viral reporting of the tragic involuntary psychiatric examination of a 6-year-old girl in Jacksonville, Florida. Called a Baker Act, involuntary psychiatric examination is part of the Florida mental health law and it applies to...
Watchdog Calling for an Investigation into the Baker Acting of Children in Florida
In 2018 an astounding 36,078 involuntary psychiatric examinations were initiated on children in Florida, an almost 19% increase over the past four years. [1] Called a Baker Act, an involuntary examination of a minor allows for a child to be taken into custody and...
CCHR Warns: Baker Acting the Elderly Can be Fatal Due to ‘Transfer Trauma’
Transfer trauma, also known as relocation stress syndrome, has been studied since the 1960s and according to controlled studies the mortality rate for elderly that are transferred is 2-4 times higher than those that are not subjected to this type of stress. [1] All...
CCHR Kicks Off 2020 Campaign with an Open House to Raise Awareness on Abuse of Mental Health Laws
The Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit watchdog organization that exposes and eradicates abuses in the mental health industry, will be hosting a series of Open House events starting January 4th 2020 to kick off its 2020...
Surge in Children on Dangerous Psychiatric Drugs Not Just a U.S. Problem
Today in the United States approximately 7.2 million children between the ages of 0 to 17 are using prescription psychiatric drugs, and almost half of them are on drugs due to being labeled with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This epidemic of...
Debunking the Myths Surrounding Suicide Assessments and Suicide Rates
Each year an average of 44,965 people commit suicide in the United States making it the 10th leading cause of death for Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide deaths were more than double those due to homicides in 2015,...
Shooter killed, at least 11 hurt at Pensacola Navy base
Authorities say an active shooter is dead after opening fire on multiple people Friday at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, and at least 11 people were hospitalized.Military Acts of Violence Linked to Psychiatric Drugs Marine Lance Corporal Delano Holmes (22), New...
CCHR Humanitarian Award Presented to Attorney Dedicated to Restoring Human Rights
Attended by hundreds of guests, the 4th Annual Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Humanitarian Awards Banquet once again honored the many dedicated volunteers and supporters of CCHR for their work help restore rights and dignity to the field of mental health....
Justin Drach: Florida-based Attorney Fighting Widespread Abuses in the Psychiatric Industry
Every year hundreds of thousands of people are taken into custody for involuntary psychiatric examination across the state of Florida. Called a Baker Act, the rampant abuse of rights under this law contributes to tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent billing. In a...
Surge in Child Baker Acts Prompts Watchdog to Call for Greater Protection of Children
The mental health law in Florida, commonly called a Baker Act, allows for a person of any age to be taken into custody and transported to a psychiatric facility for examination. During 2018 there were over 200,000 Baker Acts with more than 36,000 of them initiated on...
UK Legislators Asked to Increase Oversight and Criminal Accountability in U.S. Owned For-Profit Behavioral Hospitals
Hundreds of UK legislators have been sent a White Paper on Fraud and Abuse in the UK’s for-profit behavioral industry, calling for tighter oversight and accountability of facilities owned by U.S companies, Acadia Healthcare and Universal Health Services (UHS). The...
CCHR, Mental Health Industry Watchdog, Rails Against Use of Commitment Laws That Detain Patients for Profit
Involuntary commitment laws are being used to detain mental health patients for profit, with the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) saying the system needs to be overhauled and stringent penalties put in place to stem the fraud and abuse. The group applauds...
CCHR Urges Overhaul of the FDA, Charging Approval of Electroshock Device Creates Harm
Summing up a five-part series of articles exposing the dangers of electroshock treatment (ECT) on its public information blog, TruthAboutECT, mental health watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) calls for an overhaul of the Food and Drug...
Electroshock “Therapy” Assault—a Legacy from the Nuremberg Doctors’ Trials, Mental Health Watchdog Says
In an ongoing series exposing the dangers of electroshock treatment (ECT) administered to over 100,000 Americans each year, including children, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), says Congress and State Legislators are being misled about the...
Mental Health Watchdog Cites United Nations Report on Enforced (Involuntary) ECT is Recognized Torture
In a continuing series about the use of electroshock treatment (ECT) and this practice putting at risk a reported 100,000 Americans every year, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a mental health industry watchdog, says electroshock can be given...
ELECTROSHOCK: BRAIN DAMAGE & CONSUMER FRAUD Mental Health Industry Watchdog Reiterates the Need for a Ban
In the second part of a series of public awareness articles posted on TruthAboutECT.org, Jan Eastgate, the president of mental health industry watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International explores the coverup of the dangers of psychiatric electroshock...
Mental Health Industry Watchdog Vindicated over Prozac Risk Cover Up as $20M Secret Court Deal is Exposed
The Louisville Courier Journal recently reported that Eli Lilly, which produces Prozac, the antidepressant that Joseph Wesbecker’s victims blamed for his deadly shooting rampage 30 years ago on September 14, 1989, secretly paid the victims $20 million to help ensure a...
CCHR Exposes Electroshock Assault Masked as “Therapy”
The mental health industry watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) has been investigating what it says is harm in the name of “mental healthcare” for 50 years. Whether it is psychotropic drugs being linked to many mass shootings and stabbings, or the use...
Another Psychiatric Drug, Another Act of Senseless Violence: the All-Too Often Finding in Mass Killings CCHR reports
Montgomery County Coroner has confirmed that the alleged Dayton, Ohio shooter had the benzodiazepine, alprazolam, in his system along with cocaine, alcohol and other substances.[i] In its report, Psychiatric Drugs Create Violence and Suicide, the mental health...
Multi-Million Dollar Fines Insufficient to Curb Fraud & Patient Sexual Abuse in For-Profit Behavioral Health Industry, CCHR Says
Universal Health Services (UHS), which owns a chain of for-profit psychiatric facilities in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, has agreed to pay $127 million to settle a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) civil probe into alleged fraud. The settlement is subject to...
CCHR Calls for Investigation of Systemic Betrayal and Rape in the Psychiatric-Behavioral System
Updated: 26 August 2019: In a ground-breaking decision on August 12 2019, a Ventura, California jury awarded $13.25 million to three women who were sexually assaulted by a staff member at the for-profit psychiatric facility, Aurora Vista del Mar Hospital in Ventura....
A Warning that cannot be ignored: Psychiatric Drugs Create Violence CCHR calls for Urgent Government Investigation
The spate of recent mass shootings has prompted the mental health watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) to reiterate the urgent need for State and a Federal government investigation into the irrefutable link between psychotropic drugs and...
Getting it Right About Antidepressants, CCHR and a Global Concern About Psychiatric Drug Dependency and Risks
Current debates in the media about antidepressants raise important issues—global antidepressant use is soaring, but the once-touted “miracle pills” now carry international drug regulatory agency warnings that potentially link them to suicides and acts of...
ECT Damage: Are Psychiatrists Ignorant or Malicious?
Psychiatrist Ugo Cerletti watched pigs being “anesthetized” with electroshock before they were butchered. This seemed a delightful outcome to Cerletti. He proceeded to experiment on hapless dogs and other animals, producing “reliable epileptic fits.” Apparently, this...
Study Proves Psychiatric Diagnoses are Worthless
Neuroscience News has commented on a study published in Psychiatry Research, which concluded “psychiatric diagnoses are scientifically worthless.” Researchers from the University of Liverpool analyzed 5 key chapters of the latest DSM, a controversial edition of...
Psychiatric Drugs for Toddlers? Let's Get Real.
Health official Jeffrey Brosco is up in arms. He says our sons and daughters (even preschoolers) just aren't getting enough mental health treatment. Of course, Jeffrey does have a special interest in this area, which may go a bit beyond a fatherly concern. Mr. Brosco...
Multi-Million Fines Insufficient to Curb Abuse in For-Profit Behavioral Health Industry
Universal Health Services (UHS), which owns a chain of for-profit psychiatric facilities in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, has agreed to pay $127 million to settle a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) civil probe into alleged fraud. The settlement is subject to...
In wake of $1.4B Suboxone Payout, Mental Health Watchdog, CCHR, Says Psychiatric Industry and Hospitals Cash in on Opioid Crisis
A pharmaceutical company’s recent $1.4 billion settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) over probes into its addiction treatment drug, Suboxone Film (buprenorphine and naloxone), has raised concerns about psychiatric drug treatments offered as solutions to the...
CCHR Says Minority Mental Health Month May Spell Mental Health Slavery
While July is recognized as Minority Mental Health Month, Rev. Frederick Shaw, spokesperson for the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) warns that it can be used to stigmatize African Americans and put them at risk of harm from psychiatric...
Anesthetic that Killed Michael Jackson Used as Experimental “Depression” Drug: CCHR Warns of Treatments That Can Induce, Not Prevent Suicide
Anesthetics that induce a loss of sensation and awareness are being used as experimental drugs to treat depression, with a recent study using propofol—the anesthetic that killed Michael Jackson. Mental health watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) says...
CCHR Says Psychiatrists Got it Wrong on Electroshock ‘Treatment’ in Wall Street Journal
Psychiatrists’ misleading claims could deny consumers evidence of ECT’s real damage, inducing suicide By Jan Eastgate President, CCHR International The Mental Health Industry Watchdog July 2, 2019 In a requested statement provided to The Wall Street...
CCHR Warns About Antidepressant “Nasal Spray,” Esketamine (Spravato), Use on Veterans
By Jan Eastgate, President CCHR International The Mental Health Industry Watchdog June 26, 2019 Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is concerned that President Trump is being misled about a nasal spray depression drug, esketamine (Spravato) being the answer to...
CCHR Says Federal and State Investigations Needed into Soaring Psychotropic Drug Use, Suicides and Violence
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In the wake of recent reports of suicide increases, the mental health watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) urges Congress and state governments to implement greater oversight of soaring psychotropic drug prescribing...
The Hoax of Biologically Caused Depression
Psychiatry and pharmaceutical companies have increasingly pushed the theory that depression has a biological, even genetic cause. However, Science Alert online made this bold statement recently, “New research on depression has debunked decades of work that singled out...
Mental Illness…Fraud or Fact?
Interestingly, mental illness is not considered curable by those who supposedly treat it. In fact, according to the Psychiatric Bible (The DSM), there are hundreds of mental disorders. And not a single one of them has a promised cure. In medicine, there are certainly...
Don't Psychiatrists know what they're talking about?
Studies have shown that people tend to believe whatever their doctor tells them. This is sometimes called “white coat syndrome.” And despite numerous articles equating this with a blood pressure rise in the doctor's office, the “syndrome” can be a truly dangerous...
Black Box Warning on Sleep Aids is not Enough
Federal health regulators announced in April 2019 that manufacturers of certain sleeping pills must now include a “black box” warning alerting consumers of the potential for serious or life-threatening side effects. This is what the agency's safety alert says:...
Contact CCHR Florida
109 N. Fort Harrison Ave.
Clearwater, Florida 33755
Tel: 1-800-782-2878
