Religion and Churches News

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 18, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — More than 30 years after early warnings about antidepressant-linked suicidality and violence were downplayed, new peer-reviewed studies are again raising concerns about psychiatric drug oversight. The mental health watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) says high-risk drugs are seldom removed from the market and argues that stronger safeguards are urgently needed.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 9, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Research waste at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is reportedly costing U.S. taxpayers over $100 million annually, according to analyses of completed NIH-funded trials. With an annual budget of $48 billion, the NIH is the largest public funder of health, including mental health research, in the world. Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) International, a mental health industry watchdog, says transparency failures, poor patient benefits, and mounting evidence of waste are a serious concern.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 2, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The United States is increasingly isolated in its continued reliance on forced psychiatric commitment and treatment, as global human rights institutions move decisively to end coercive mental health practices. Following a landmark unanimous vote, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) is urging U.S. policymakers to bring American mental health law into alignment with international human rights standards.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Jan. 26, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The mental health industry watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) is calling for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to be expanded and modernized to align with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Such reforms are necessary to protect individuals from coercive psychiatric commitment and forced treatment in U.S. healthcare systems.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Jan. 19, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — A sweeping new white paper released by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) warns lawmakers that abuse, neglect, preventable deaths, and fraud remain endemic in the troubled teen treatment industry and for-profit psychiatric hospitals, despite years of warnings, litigation, and media investigations.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Jan. 12, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a 57-year mental health industry watchdog, is calling for an urgent investigation into the clinical trials and regulatory decisions that led to the approval and continued marketing of antidepressants, due to long-standing evidence of devastating and enduring side effects that patients were never adequately warned about, including sexual dysfunction and emotional numbing.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Jan. 6, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The mental health industry watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) welcomed a major review that Harvard University’s Health and Human Rights journal published, which reviewed four decades of global mental health policy, concluding that the psychiatric-pharmaceutical industry’s dominance of biomedical approaches has obstructed human rights progress.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 31, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — On the Sunday prior to Christmas Day, thousands of families came together on L. Ron Hubbard Way for the Church of Scientology Los Angeles’ annual toy giveaway. Families were treated to an afternoon of fun, including holiday photos with Santa, an ice skating rink, face painting, cookie decorating, and a sing-along concert.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 29, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), the world’s longest-running mental-health watchdog, says 2025 marked a turning point: global institutions, national governments, and the public are increasingly demanding an end to coercive psychiatric practices.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 22, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — For over four decades, L. Ron Hubbard’s Winter Wonderland has welcomed families and children from around the world, spreading joy and the spirit of the holidays, the Church of Scientology Los Angeles announced today. Throughout the holiday season, families visiting Hollywood from around the world and across the United States have enjoyed a magical winter experience on Hollywood Boulevard.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 22, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) is raising alarms over the widespread, little-known fact that many psychiatric drugs are addictive, disfiguring, and capable of producing catastrophic neurological damage. This is harm that the group says now warrants a federal investigation into how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed such risks to proliferate for decades.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 17, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — In East Hollywood, CA, The Church of Scientology of Los Angeles welcomed more than 800 members of the Hollywood community for its 5th Annual Holiday Lighting Festival on L. Ron Hubbard Way, officially launching the 2025 holiday season with an evening of festive family fun.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 15, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The two-hour documentary “Prescription for Violence: Psychiatry’s Deadly Side Effects” confronts a question long avoided: whether the rise in mass shootings, senseless violence, and suicides correlates with the dramatic increase in psychiatric drug use. The international mental health industry watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), has released the documentary on its website, documenting how acts of mass violence have escalated to unprecedented levels.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 10, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) today announces the worldwide release of “Prescription for Violence: Psychiatry’s Deadly Side Effects,” a two-hour documentary presenting evidence connecting psychiatric drugs to incidents of violence, suicide, and self-harm. The documentary premieres internationally on Scientology Network at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 9, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The newly formed Stop ECT Coalition, representing hundreds of thousands of individuals, has launched a nationwide campaign urging review of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s 2018 rule on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) devices. Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) is among the organizations supporting the initiative, along with the Global Wellness Forum and Stand for Health Freedom.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 4, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — L. Ron Hubbard’s Winter Wonderland opened on the evening of November 30th, 2025, on Hollywood Boulevard, welcoming visitors from around the world to celebrate the holidays. Opening its doors on the night of the Hollywood Christmas Parade, with thousands lining the boulevard, families poured into Winter Wonderland eager to experience the magic of the iconic holiday set, the Church of Scientology Western US announced today.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 2, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Tens of thousands of American children who begin with a prescription for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) drugs ultimately end up on multiple powerful psychiatric drugs, sometimes even before they are old enough to attend elementary school. Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), conducted its own review of state-by-state Medicaid data through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and the findings were even more alarming.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Nov. 24, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The international mental health watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), is releasing Prescription for Violence: Psychiatry’s Deadly Side Effects, a two-hour documentary that details extensive evidence correlating the escalation of mass shootings, suicides, and violent crime with the pervasive use of psychiatric drugs.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Nov. 18, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) announces the release of its uncompromising new documentary, “Prescription for Violence: Psychiatry’s Deadly Side Effects.” The two-hour exposé reveals alarming evidence connecting the rising tide of mass shootings, suicides and violent crimes with the widespread use of psychiatric drugs.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Nov. 17, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — A groundbreaking Karolinska Institutet study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, found that individuals subjected to involuntary psychiatric hospitalization faced a markedly elevated risk of suicide after discharge.[1] The mental-health industry watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) says the findings add to extensive evidence that coercive detainment and treatment-now being promoted for homelessness in the U.S.-is unworkable, unsafe, and can endanger lives.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Nov. 10, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — A powerful appeal to end coercive psychiatric practices-such as forced electroshock and drugging-was made at the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) World Mental Health Congress in Barcelos, Portugal. The address urged global alignment with the United Nations and World Health Organization mandates. Supporting the call was the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a mental-health industry watchdog that has long campaigned for a ban on coercive treatment.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Nov. 3, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Each May and October, millions are urged to “raise awareness” for mental health through national and international campaigns, including World Mental Health Day in October. Yet, according to the mental health industry watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), many of the advocacy campaigns driving these observances are dominated by pharmaceutical interests and a biomedical model reliant on psychotropic drugs, electroshock, and even psychosurgery.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 31, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — In a renewed wave of excitement following the grand opening on September 21, 2025, the Church of Scientology Mission of Silicon Valley continues to make headlines as it solidifies its role as a cornerstone of spiritual growth and community service in the heart of Willow Glen, California.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Oct. 27, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a 50-year mental-health industry watchdog, is urging legislators to ensure that policy decisions are grounded in evidence-not in misinformation from vested interests. The appeal follows testimony before the Wyoming Joint Labor, Health & Social Services Committee, which recently considered but postponed sponsorship of the proposed Wyoming Death Data Collection and Toxicology Transparency Act.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 24, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Marking a new chapter of service in California’s capital, the Ideal Scientology Mission of Riverpark opens its doors to unite communities, empower individuals and extend help to all who seek it.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a mental health industry watchdog, today warned that the surge in antidepressant prescriptions for adolescent girls represents a public health crisis fueled by financial conflicts of interest between psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry. Between 2020 and 2022, Pediatrics reported a 130% increase in antidepressant prescribing for girls aged 12 to 17, while prescriptions for boys declined 7%.

DORSET, England, Oct. 13, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The bright yellow tent of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers stood out among the many exhibitions at the Dorset County Show, drawing visitors eager to learn practical tools for life and experience the unique assistance the Volunteer Ministers provide.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Oct. 13, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) has warned that billions of taxpayer dollars poured into Veterans Affairs (VA) psychiatric programs are driving tragedy instead of delivering help. Rather than restoring dignity to those who served, veterans are being drugged, disabled, and too often lost to suicide or violence.

BATON ROUGE, La., Oct. 7, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The bright yellow pavilion of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers returned to Louisiana’s capital, marking the 20th anniversary of a legacy of help provided during the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005. That same spirit of help continues today.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Oct. 6, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — With $280 billion invested annually in psychiatric hospitals and treatment-and billions more paid out to treat the damage they cause-the mental health watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) warns that continuing to fund the system without accountability is like pouring water into a sieve or patching a sinking ship with paper.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Sept. 29, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The abuse of prescription psychotropic drugs has become a global public health issue and, according to the mental health industry watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), it is a major factor in the failure of America’s war on drugs. More than 79 million Americans are prescribed psychotropics – many of which can cause dependence, respiratory depression, seizures, and fatal outcomes, especially when combined with other substances.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Sept. 22, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Scientology Network marks the United Nations International Day of Peace 2025 with a powerful marathon that highlights bold initiatives driving humanity toward a more just and peaceful future.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Sept. 15, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Psychiatry’s system of involuntary commitment is recycling discredited eugenics-era policies-using vague labels and coercive “treatments” that violate human rights, while expanding its powers to institutionalize people under the guise of restoring public order. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) warns that the United States is sliding back into a dark chapter of history: eugenics cloaked as psychiatric “care.”

GOLD COAST, Queensland, Australia, Sept. 10, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — What if poetry could open a window into the mystery of God Himself? In “On Contemplating God the Trinity: A Collection of Poems” (ISBN: 9781834182230), Australian poet Annette R. Allen invites readers on a lyrical journey into the heart of the Christian faith, exploring the majesty of creation, the wonder of the Trinity, and the love of Christ that changes everything.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Sept. 10, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Families and communities deserve answers about the potential role psychiatric drugs may play in senseless acts of violence-an issue suppressed for decades by vested interests. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) is urging that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) study on psychotropic drugs and violence be given the full weight it deserves, warning that dismissing it would betray the public’s right to safety and truth.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Sept. 2, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The mental health industry watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) is recommending that parents shield their children from invasive mental health screening in schools. To assist families, CCHR provides a downloadable Parent’s Exemption Form Prior to Mental Health and Psychological Screening or Counseling.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Aug. 25, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — 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 about its serious risks. The mental health industry watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), which has documented psychiatric abuses for more than five decades, said the findings confirm what its own investigations have long shown: gross violations of informed consent rights.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Aug. 11, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) is calling for a clinical and financial audit of the U.S. mental health system, warning that plans to involuntarily commit individuals experiencing homelessness could worsen mortality rates while escalating healthcare costs. The group emphasizes that psychotropic drugs commonly used in psychiatric facilities carry serious-often fatal-risks, especially when administered without thorough medical screening.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Aug. 4, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) warns that proposals to expand involuntary psychiatric commitment of the homeless will not solve homelessness but will worsen it-by increasing trauma, violating civil liberties, and fueling massive public spending on a failed system.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., July 28, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a mental health industry watchdog founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz, is reaffirming its legacy of restoring human rights in the mental health field-one that spans more than five decades of exposing psychiatric coercion and abuse, helping drive legal and policy change.