On September 24, 2025, two major events on opposite sides of the country shone a spotlight on the urgent and often contentious landscape of mental health in America. In Orlando, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) unveiled a provocative exhibit at the University of Central Florida (UCF), challenging the safety and ethics of psychiatric practices. Meanwhile, in New York and Scottsdale, the LifeStance Health Foundation announced a $100,000 grant to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), aiming to advance research and intervention strategies to prevent suicide—one of the nation’s most pressing public health crises.
At the heart of the UCF campus, students and members of the public gathered in the Student Union for a two-day event hosted by CCHR Florida. The exhibit, titled Psychiatry: An Industry of Death, is a traveling installation that claims to expose the dark history and current abuses within the mental health industry. According to 24-7 Press Release, the exhibit features graphic audiovisual displays and firsthand accounts from over 160 doctors, attorneys, educators, and survivors. Its stated mission is to raise awareness about what organizers describe as human rights violations—ranging from involuntary examinations and electroshock therapy to the "dangerous psychiatric drugging of children."
The exhibit is modeled after a permanent museum at CCHR’s international headquarters in Los Angeles and has reached tens of thousands of people worldwide. In Florida, a similar permanent installation has stood in downtown Clearwater since July 2015, drawing more than 10,000 visitors, including nursing and technical college students who tour the museum as part of their clinical education.
Emotions ran high during the UCF event, especially among psychology students. One student, after touring the displays, reportedly said, "I want to help people – I don't want to do this! This changes everything. I'm really glad I came." Such reactions were echoed by other attendees, including veterans and law enforcement officers, many of whom pledged to work with CCHR to prevent abuses in Florida’s mental health system.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony drew notable figures, including Commissioner Antonio "Tony" Ortiz, the first and only Puerto Rican elected official to serve as a City of Orlando Commissioner. After viewing the exhibit, Ortiz remarked, "I think this is extremely important and this exhibit needs to be seen by everyone. The abuse in the institutions is really horrible. I can see the amount of pressure that Big Pharma and all of the money in the drug companies put onto legislators and this is something we need to change. The Baker Act is a real problem and law enforcement needs to be more educated on this. The booklet CCHR provides on parental rights looks like a major asset to the communities here in Orlando. Thank you so much for inviting me to this very important event and I look forward to working with CCHR in the future."
CCHR, established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz, has long advocated for the eradication of abuses in mental health care and the strengthening of patient rights. The organization’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard, once wrote, "Thousands and thousands are seized without process of law, every week, over the 'free world' tortured, castrated, killed. All in the name of 'mental health.'" The Florida museum, open to the public with free weekly and monthly events, aims to foster ongoing education and reform, especially around laws like the Baker Act, which allows for involuntary psychiatric examination.
While CCHR’s approach is deeply critical of mainstream psychiatric practices, other organizations are working within the system to address the mental health crisis from a different angle. On the same day as the Orlando exhibit, LifeStance Health Foundation announced a significant financial commitment to suicide prevention, partnering with AFSP to fund clinical research and community outreach.
LifeStance Health Foundation, a nonprofit endowed by LifeStance Health, focuses on funding interventional research to tackle the most pressing issues in mental health—particularly among youth. According to a press release from PR Newswire, the $100,000 grant to AFSP will support research into early intervention best practices and the development of predictive analytics to identify individuals at risk of suicide across all age groups.
The statistics driving this initiative are sobering. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for Americans aged 10-34 and the fourth leading cause for those aged 35-44. The National Survey of Drug Use and Health estimates that 12.8 million adults aged 18 or older have reported having thoughts of suicide, underscoring the magnitude of the problem and the need for robust, evidence-based solutions.
Dave Bourdon, CEO of LifeStance and Director of the LifeStance Health Foundation, emphasized the urgency and scope of the effort: "Suicide prevention is central to the care we provide at LifeStance, and we are committed to doing everything possible to address suicide risk in the communities that we serve nationwide. We're honored to partner with American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to advance essential research that will have long-term systemic impact on our industry and strengthen how we collectively support at-risk populations."
As part of the year-long partnership, LifeStance Health Foundation has pledged to match employee donations to AFSP up to $50,000. The company’s commitment extends beyond funding: more than 40 teams of LifeStance employees are participating in AFSP’s signature Out of the Darkness Walks, raising awareness and funds for suicide prevention efforts nationwide.
AFSP CEO Bob Gebbia expressed gratitude for the partnership, stating, "We are grateful to LifeStance Health Foundation for their support of youth suicide prevention. By investing in AFSP's research and programs, they are making possible the development of new evidence-based educational programs, interventions and treatments for at-risk youth. We thank LifeStance Health Foundation for their generosity and leadership and for helping to save young lives."
Founded in 2021, LifeStance Health Foundation funds research in several key areas: youth and early intervention, fragmentation and coordination of care, and improving access and equity. LifeStance Health itself is a major provider of outpatient mental health care, operating across 33 states with more than 550 centers and approximately 7,700 mental health professionals. AFSP, headquartered in New York with a policy office in Washington, D.C., maintains local chapters in all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico, delivering programs and events nationwide. The organization’s mission is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide, using a combination of research, education, advocacy, and direct support.
Taken together, these two events—CCHR’s critical exposé and LifeStance Health Foundation’s research-driven partnership—illustrate the breadth and complexity of America’s mental health debate. On one hand, there are calls for greater scrutiny and reform of psychiatric practices, particularly around the rights of vulnerable populations. On the other, there is a push for increased funding, research, and community engagement to tackle the devastating reality of suicide and mental illness. Both approaches reflect a shared recognition: the stakes are high, and the solutions, whatever form they take, will require the involvement and vigilance of communities, professionals, and policymakers alike.
As the conversation around mental health continues to evolve, the events of September 24, 2025, serve as a reminder that progress—whether through critique, reform, or innovation—demands both courage and collaboration.
