Hundreds remain traumatized by electro-skin shocks, as the FDA delays banning a device described by the United Nations and patients as torture. The inaction highlights the broader failure to also ban electroshock (ECT) devices. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has passed its deadline to ban the electrical stimulation device (ESD), commonly known as the … Read more
Exposed: Forced Electroshock on Minors, Misleading Claims That 460 Volts Through the Brain Is Safer Than Childbirth or a Dentist Visit; Concerns Extend to Psychiatric Drugs Linked to 720 Deaths in Acts of Senseless Violence Citizens Commission on Human Rights International and its Bay Area chapters protested outside the American Psychiatric Association’s annual convention at … Read more
With FOIA data showing children as young as five subjected to electroshock in the U.S., CCHR International condemns calls to override WHO guidance labeling child and non-consensual shock treatment as torture and demands a legislative ban. CCHR International strongly rejects a recent joint statement issued on March 31, 2026, by the World, European, and American … Read more
A national coalition of health and human rights advocates, attorneys, and ECT survivors unite to expose the FDA’s flawed ECT rule and call for federal action to stop a device they argue inflicts brain damage and violates international human-rights standards. The newly formed Stop ECT Coalition, comprising a consortium of health and human rights organizations … Read more
Largest international study finds nearly 60% of electroshock recipients were misinformed about serious dangers, echoing CCHR’s decades of evidence on violations of informed consent. A groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Medical Ethics has revealed that nearly 60% of people subjected to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), commonly called electroshock, reported they were not adequately informed … Read more
A prestigious award recognized five decades of relentless advocacy for justice and reform fought by CCHR and survivors of electroshock torture at a psychiatric hospital. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights New Zealand chapter and survivors of the now-closed Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit in New Zealand have been honored with the prestigious … Read more
A new study reveals widespread misinformation about electroshock therapy among patients. Parents are similarly misled about ECT use on teens and children as young as five. Moreover, antidepressants—often a precursor to ECT recommendations—also carry significant risks. A new study reveals that patients feel misinformed about the risks of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), reinforcing the argument that … Read more
As the House Appropriations Committee eliminates a loophole that would have allowed punitive electric shocks for behavior control, CCHR calls for a complete ban on all electroshock devices. A loophole slipped into a massive budget bill by a Congressional subcommittee would have blocked the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) proposed ban on a device used … Read more
Group protests the American Psychiatric Association meeting during May’s Mental Health Month, calling for legislation to define forced treatment as torture and to ban electroshock treatment. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a mental health industry watchdog, has orchestrated a march in New York City to coincide with May’s Mental Health Awareness Month. Simultaneously, … Read more
CCHR urges a ban be extended to all electroshock machines used for behavioral and mental health treatment, citing brain damage and other harms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pushing again to ban the use of electrical stimulation devices (ESD) for behavior modification, determining that they present an “unreasonable and substantial risk of … Read more