Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) International is urging survivors of sexual abuse by psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals to report incidents through its online reporting form. The call follows a disturbing rise in media reports and convictions involving patient sexual abuse, highlighting systemic failures in oversight and accountability.
According to CCHR, mental health professionals who engage in sexual contact with patients often repeat the offense. Surveys show that over 50% of male therapists who admitted such involvement reported multiple patients, while a Canadian study placed the repeat offender rate at 80%. Despite the severity, CCHR says some psychiatric literature downplays the abuse as a "boundary violation," a term it condemns as an insult to victims.
The organization, established in 1969, helped secure some of the first state laws in California and Colorado making sexual contact between therapists and patients a criminal offense. Today, 33 states and D.C. have such statutes, but CCHR argues current laws are insufficient. A study addressing U.S. laws found that only five states have addressed reporting sexual relationships between physicians and patients. Of these, only Texas mandates that a physician report such misconduct, even without the patient's consent. Another 18 states permit reporting under broader laws, but standards vary widely with vague terms like "reasonable belief" or "any information."
A survey of psychiatrists revealed that more than one-third knew of a colleague who had been sexually involved with patients, yet only 8% reported the exploitation, even though 56% favored mandatory reporting. CCHR's public database of criminal and disciplinary actions against mental health personnel shows that nearly a third of criminal convictions involve sexual abuse.
Victims are frequently drugged by the abusing therapist, a factor CCHR says statutes must address. A 2020 report on sexual assault in psychiatric settings found that most states do not mandate physicians to report sexually exploitative colleagues, even when the information is disclosed during treatment. A 2026 BMJ Open scoping review cited a study in which approximately 3%–21% of psychiatric inpatients reported experiencing some form of abuse by healthcare professionals.
CCHR has documented systemic sexual abuse in for-profit psychiatric hospitals, including 21 incidents in one chain of facilities. Two staff members were convicted and sentenced to a combined 35 years in prison; two facilities were closed following allegations. Jan Eastgate, President of CCHR International, stated: "Mental health facilities can operate with little supervision, creating a breeding ground for abusive acts to go undetected for years. This is not a 'professional boundary violation'—it is sexual battery."
The organization calls for uniform criminal laws in all states making sexual contact between therapists and patients a felony, revocation of government contracts and licenses for facilities where abuse occurs, and mandatory criminal accountability for perpetrators. CCHR urges victims and witnesses to come forward through its confidential reporting system.
