The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) has launched a traveling exhibit documenting historical abuses in psychiatry and highlighting current concerns about psychotropic drug use, particularly among children. The exhibit features graphic panels and video excerpts from documentaries including Psychiatry: An Industry of Death, presenting what organizers describe as a troubling evolution from brutal treatments like lobotomies to current widespread pharmaceutical interventions.
One of the most impactful sections focuses on child drugging, with exhibit materials claiming over 20 million children are on mind-altering drugs. According to the exhibit, this has resulted in an epidemic of violence and suicides among young people taking these medications. The materials further assert that school shootings have been directly traced to psychiatric drug use by perpetrators. The organization's documentary Prescription for Violence, available to exhibit visitors, documents these claims.
Diane Lewis, a 40-year veteran special education teacher with Los Angeles Unified School District who spoke at the exhibit opening, expressed concern about the educational system. "I'm very concerned for the children and the education they are getting," Lewis stated. "Too many children are coming in who had a label of ADHD or another psychiatric label. I could not teach them when they are on the drugs. Kids are coming to school with so many problems and trauma, but current programs in our schools are not dealing with these problems, just drug them."
The exhibit presents what organizers call a critical failure of the psychiatric industry: despite billions spent annually on treatments, they claim psychiatry offers zero cures. Instead, the exhibit links psychiatric interventions to social problems including drug addiction, homelessness, incarceration in mental institutions, and widespread grief. According to CCHR materials, these issues represent a "plague in every city in the United States."
The organization warns parents and community members that psychiatric treatments can be dangerous, with 14 identical traveling exhibits operating worldwide. For additional information, visitors can access resources through the CCHR website at https://www.cchr.org or view documentaries about the organization's work. The exhibit is part of CCHR's broader mission, inspired by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's commitment to eliminating physically damaging practices in mental health, according to organization materials.
