Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Museum
- Museum
- In Los Angeles, California
- 0.5 mi from Route 66
Psychiatry: An Industry of Death is a museum in Los Angeles, CA, about a mile off the old road. It opened in 2005 and is run by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a group the Church of Scientology co-founded in 1969. The museum presents a sharply critical, anti-psychiatry view of mental health treatment. Visitors should know that most people outside Scientology regard the group behind it as a Scientology front.
What is Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Museum?
The museum is a single-viewpoint exhibition rather than a neutral history of medicine. It is the public face of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, or CCHR, which describes its mission as stopping abuses carried out in the name of mental health and winning legal protections for patients and consumers.
The displays argue against psychiatry as a field, in line with the anti-psychiatry position the group is known for. Anyone expecting a balanced look at the history of mental health care should adjust expectations before going in.
History of Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Museum
In 1969 the Church of Scientology joined with the psychiatrist Thomas Szasz to set up CCHR, which has its headquarters in Los Angeles. The museum followed in 2005. Most observers outside Scientology consider CCHR a front group for the church, created to push its opposition to psychiatry, and that background is worth knowing when deciding whether to visit. The museum's name makes its position clear before you walk through the door.
Visiting Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Museum: tips
Treat this as a curiosity stop with a strong agenda, and allow about an hour if you go in. The building has wheelchair access. Food is about 0.1 miles away, and a motel about 0.2 miles.
It sits in a dense cluster of Hollywood museums: the Los Angeles Fire Department museum is about 0.3 miles away, as is the Hollywood Museum. The former Hollywood Erotic Museum, about 0.2 miles off, has closed.
Practical info
- Address
- 6616 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA
- Phone
- +1 323-467-4242
- Website
- cchrmuseum.org
- Hours
- Mon–Sat 10–5
- On site & nearby
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Questions about Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Museum
Who runs the Psychiatry: An Industry of Death museum?
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a group co-founded by the Church of Scientology.
Is it a neutral history museum?
No. It presents an anti-psychiatry viewpoint that reflects the position of the group that operates it.
Own or run Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Museum? Send us a photo or a correction.