MindFreedom International issues alerts about individuals at risk of orcurrently experiencing involuntary psychiatric procedures, including onan outpatient basis while living peacefully in the community in theirown residences.

For example, occasionally these public alerts have led to some members who are experiencing coerced outpatient psychiatric drugging to findresources assisting them to relocate to avoid their forced psychiatricprocedures. This in no way implies that MindFreedom, its board ormembers — nor the individuals escaping forced outpatient psychiatry –are in any way involved in, aiding, supporting or condoning any illegalactivity, directly or indirectly.

MindFreedom International has a track record of taking constructive,nonviolent action when we are notified that a person is being subjectedto coerced or forced psychiatric procedures. In order to better utilizeour very limited resources, we have established the MindFreedom ShieldProgram.

The MindFreedom Shield Program is a coordinated registration system andsolidarity network of current MindFreedom members who want to have as muchprotection as possible from coerced or forced psychiatric treatment.The MindFreedom Shield is not meant to replace a formal psychiatric “advancedirective,” which is a legal document we highly recommend people fillout. MindFreedom does not have the resources to assist in completing anadvance directive.

If a member who has registered a MindFreedom Shield is, to the best of our ability, verifiably foundby MindFreedom to be subjected to coerced or forced psychiatrictreatment, an alert will be sent to the MindFreedom Solidarity Networkon that person’s behalf. Everyone in the MindFreedom Solidarity Networkis expected to participate in constructive, nonviolent actionrecommended in the alert received to support the person for whom analert has been issued.

The MindFreedom Shield program is not an advocacy system, and is no substitute for advocacy. The MindFreedom Shield does not have the resources to do research, advocate on specific details of your care, or provide legal or medical advice. The MindFreedom Shield is basic and focused, similar to Amnesty International’s alert system: A number of people speak out in a civil way to a decision-maker about a basic allegation of human rights abuse because of psychiatric coercion.

While no one can guarantee the results of issuing human rights alerts, it has beenour experience that public awareness can often reduce, if not end,situations of coerced or forced psychiatric treatment. In any case, the MindFreed Shield serves to educate the public that coerced and forced psychiatric procedures continue to harm the human rights of people internationally. And the MindFreedom Shield helps a survivor of psychiatric abuse know they are not alone, and others are remembering and speaking out for their human rights.