Rob Wipond is an investigative journalist who recently published a book titled Your Consent Is Not Required: The Rise in Psychiatric Detentions, Forced Treatment, and Abuse of Guardianships. In this episode, he provides insights into the contentious realm of psychiatric involuntary commitment and shares his research findings on the challenges and flaws within the mental health system.
On the psychcrisis.org podcast we're hunting for ways to change mental health crisis care, and the system that provides it. We're asking our guests, with their expertise from different parts of the process, to help us figure out what to do.
I want to know:
What is the dominant narrative around involuntary psychiatric commitment, and how can we change that narrative?
How can we find better data on forced psychiatric treatment? How many people are subject to this treatment? What kinds of people are disproportionately subject to this treatment?
What would need to happen for our communities to stop committing people involuntarily? How can activists work to shift treatment methods away from involuntary commitment?
Your Consent Is Not Required is available to buy on Amazon.
psychcrisis.org is working to change how we respond to mental health crises.
Rob wrote a book on involuntary psychiatric commitment and forced treatment