Protest Highlights International Health Warnings
In Melbourne, numerous protesters gathered to demand that the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) halt coercive psychiatric practices, including electroshock therapy, during their Annual Congress. This event was organized by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights’ Victorian chapter, featuring banners with messages like, ‘Stop psychiatric torture, ban electroshock, stop coercion.’
Participants emphasised warnings from international health bodies. Both the World Health Organisation and the United Nations have declared, “Coercive practices in mental health care violate the right to be protected from torture, or cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.” they advised that electroshock therapy is an “irreversible intervention” that can lead to “memory loss and brain damage.” As a result, they called for legislation prohibiting the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on children.
International Recommendations Ignored
Despite a direct UN recommendation in 2019 for Australia to ban forced electroshock therapy, no legislative action has been taken. In Victoria, 501 adults and three children aged 15 were forcibly subjected to electroshock therapy in the 2024/25 period. Victoria registered 8,399 Medicare-funded treatments in 2025, the highest in the country.
Throughout Australia, 15,139 physical restraints, 783 mechanical restraints, and 9,424 seclusions were recorded in psychiatric facilities during 2023/24. These data highlight substantial concerns about the extent of coercive practices in mental health care.
RANZCP has a long history of pharmaceutical support. In 2024 and 2025, companies like Eli Lilly, Servier, and Pfizer supported their activities. The RANZCP Congress website does not disclose potential conflicts of interest between participating psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical industry. Notably, Professor Norman Sartorius and Prof. Sarah Hollingsworth Lisanby have had professional ties with pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers.
The CCHR’s free exhibition, ‘Psychiatry: An Industry of Death’, is open in Fitzroy until 10th May 2026. Located at 306-380 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, it offers further insights into these issues. The exhibition aims to expose psychiatric abuse and demand an end to coercive practices.
Last updated: 5 May 2026, 1:34 am
