The Psychiatry: An Industry of Death traveling exhibit in Orlando's Oviedo Mall has educated Floridians about mental health abuses, drawing attention to practices such as electroshock therapy, involuntary examinations, and the administration of dangerous psychiatric medications to children. Hosted by the Florida chapter of CCHR, an award-winning nonprofit that exposes abuse in the mental health industry, the exhibit attracted human rights advocates, students, psychiatric facility employees, professionals, veterans, and teachers.
Many attendees reported witnessing the abuses depicted in the exhibit firsthand and pledged to collaborate with CCHR to prevent mental health abuses in Florida. The impact was profound for some, including a retired psychiatric hospital employee who became emotional during the tour, recalling a doctor's warning that working in such environments could lead to becoming a psychiatric patient. A veteran criticized psychiatry for degrading patients' rights and contributing to societal degradation through television ads promoting psychiatric drugs.
The exhibit is based on the permanent museum at CCHR's international headquarters in Los Angeles, California, and travels globally, reaching tens of thousands annually. In Florida, a permanent installation exists at the CCHR center in downtown Clearwater, unveiled in July 2015. This museum features 14 audiovisual displays that present the history and current state of psychiatry, using interviews from over 160 doctors, attorneys, educators, and survivors to expose what it describes as a multi-billion dollar fraud.
Over 10,000 people have visited the Florida museum, including nursing and technical college students who find the self-guided tours informative and eye-opening. CCHR complements these tours with seminars and workshops on mental health law, such as the Baker Act, educating lawmakers, doctors, and citizens about abuse and legal rights. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM and weekends from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, with free weekly and monthly events. For more information, visit https://www.cchrflorida.org.
