Controversial Psychiatry Exhibit at UCF Sparks Student Reconsideration of Mental Health Careers

The Psychiatry: An Industry of Death exhibit at the University of Central Florida Student Union last month drew students, veterans, and law enforcement personnel to examine what organizers describe as systemic abuse within mental health treatment. The traveling exhibition, which reaches tens of thousands globally each year, focuses on practices including electroshock therapy, involuntary examinations, and medication of children with psychiatric drugs. Based on a permanent museum at the Citizens Commission on Human Rights headquarters in Los Angeles, the display aims to raise awareness about human rights violations in mental health care.

The Florida chapter of CCHR, an award-winning nonprofit that exposes mental health industry abuses, hosted the UCF installation. Following their tours, many attendees, including psychology majors, pledged to collaborate with CCHR to prevent mental health abuses in Florida. One psychology student expressed shock after viewing the exhibit, stating it fundamentally changed her career perspective. She remarked that while she entered the field to help people, the exhibit revealed practices that contradicted her intentions.

Orlando City Commissioner Antonio Tony Ortiz participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Student Union, describing the exhibit as extremely important for universal viewing. Ortiz highlighted institutional abuse concerns and pharmaceutical company influence on legislators. He specifically criticized Florida's Baker Act, which allows involuntary mental health examination, suggesting law enforcement requires better education on mental health laws. Ortiz praised CCHR's parental rights booklet as a community asset and committed to future collaboration with the organization. More information about CCHR's initiatives can be found at https://www.cchrflorida.org.

CCHR Florida maintains a permanent version of the exhibit in downtown Clearwater, unveiled in July 2015. This installation presents psychiatry's history through 14 audiovisual displays featuring interviews with over 160 doctors, attorneys, educators, and abuse survivors. The museum has hosted more than 10,000 visitors, including nursing and technical college students who incorporate the two-hour self-guided tour into clinical training. Many find the experience informative and eye-opening according to organizers.

The organization complements museum tours with seminars and workshops conducted by attorneys and healthcare professionals focusing on mental health laws, particularly the Baker Act. These educational efforts target lawmakers, medical professionals, and private citizens to increase awareness about mental health abuses and legal rights. The Clearwater museum operates Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., with weekly and monthly events offered free to the public. CCHR was established in 1969 through collaboration between the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz with the mission of eliminating mental health abuses and implementing patient protections.