The United Nations Committee for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has released an Open Letter reaffirming its opposition to involuntary detention and treatment in mental health care, stating that any form of coercion is incompatible with the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The Committee's letter, issued on July 1, 2026, emphasizes that involuntary placement and treatment are prohibited without exception and cannot be justified as measures of last resort or under safeguards. It argues that such practices perpetuate institutional power imbalances, expose persons with disabilities to torture and ill-treatment, and lack clinical evidence of therapeutic benefit.
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) has welcomed this initiative and is calling for similar protections to be enshrined in U.S. law. Jan Eastgate, CCHR's International President, noted that the United States has never ratified the CRPD, despite its influence on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). She stressed that the ADA should be reformed to explicitly prohibit forced psychiatric institutionalization and treatment, aligning with international human rights standards.
The CRPD Committee's Open Letter makes several key points: it prohibits involuntary placement and treatment without exceptions; it highlights that such practices are discriminatory, deny legal capacity, and may constitute cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment; and it cites evidence of widespread violence and harm in institutions, including deaths caused by involuntary commitment and treatment.
The European Times reported that the CRPD "prohibits involuntary placement and involuntary treatment of persons with disabilities on the basis of disability, without exceptions," underscoring the global consensus against coercion in mental health services.
CCHR emphasizes that these perspectives are urgently needed in the U.S., where 1.2 million Americans are involuntarily committed to psychiatric facilities each year. The consequences of coercion can be lethal: a July 2025 Federal Reserve Bank of New York study found that individuals who were involuntarily hospitalized were nearly twice as likely to die by suicide or overdose within three months of release. Additionally, an estimated 100,000 Americans receive electroshock treatment annually, often involuntarily, despite documented risks of memory loss and brain damage.
A new evaluation of court-mandated mental health treatment in New York under "Kendra's Law" compared outcomes of forced treatment versus voluntary services and found that mandated treatment was more harmful. Between 2016 and 2022, there was a 141% increase in the use of pharmacologic restraint among hospitalized children aged 5-17 with mental health diagnoses. Physical restraints have also led to deaths, with recent cases resulting in homicide rulings and prosecution of staff.
The 2023 joint WHO-Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights guidance also called for legislative reform to end coercion in mental health services, replace psychiatric institutions with inclusive community support, and enshrine free and informed consent.
Eastgate concluded: "The United States can no longer claim leadership on disability rights while continuing to allow forced psychiatric detention and treatment. It is unmistakably clear that coercion has no place in the mental health field. U.S. law should be brought into full alignment with international human rights standards."
CCHR, established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz, has achieved hundreds of laws that empower patients with informed consent and legal representation against loss of liberty and forced treatment.
