There is no hiding place for the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and its crimes against humanity. Whether in New York or San Francisco, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) consistently attends APA conferences to call for an end to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), commonly known as electroshock.

Why? ECT is a killer. It destroys lives and turns people into walking zombies, yet it continues to be inflicted on more than 100,000 Americans each year. Many of its victims are children as young as five years old. Psychiatrists deceive parents by claiming that this barbaric practice is beneficial. But what possible benefit can come from passing 460 volts of electricity through the skull—enough to run two elevators or power five stadium lights? A delicate mechanism like the human brain is irreparably damaged by this torture disguised as mental health care.

Outraged by the continued use of ECT, a large group of CCHR protesters, joined by members of community groups and their leaders, marched from Times Square to the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York, the site of the annual APA conference. They greeted psychiatrists arriving at the conference with placards and signs reading: “Stop the Torture. Ban ECT,” “Stop Electroshock Treatment Before It Stops Our Kids,” and “Electroshock Treatment. A Fancy Word for ‘Kill Brain Cells.’”

Attendees were met with a constant refrain: “Hey, hey, APA, how many kids did you shock today?”

If APA annual meeting attendees covered their ears and looked upward to avoid the signs, they encountered a plane flying overhead, towing a banner that read, “Psychiatry Kills: Ban Electroshock.” Psychiatrists who sought cover in Times Square were confronted by a Jumbotron playing anti-ECT ads.

These protests are taking place worldwide as part of a global campaign to permanently ban ECT and end abuses in the field of psychiatry. CCHR remains unwavering in its mission to see this barbaric practice banned permanently.