Diane Stein accepted a leadership role at the Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) in 2015. 

Nonpolitical and nonreligious, CCHR is an award-winning nonprofit in the area of mental health human rights and government relations whose mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health.

Since that time, she has worked to help restore human rights to the field of mental health and especially in the area of short-term emergency commitment. 

An experienced speaker who received certification on the Baker Act, Florida's mental health law, through the Department of Children and Families, Diane is sought after on topics ranging from involuntary psychiatric examination and mental health rights to the dangerous side effects of psychiatric medication.

As a Newsweek Expert, Diane is regularly interviewed by journalists and investigative reporters on emergency psychiatric holds including those involving children and the violation of parental and child rights under these circumstances.

By Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Katie Thomas

Published: Sept. 1, 2024

Acted as a Consultant to the Reporters

"Acadia Healthcare is one of America’s largest chains of psychiatric hospitals. Since the pandemic exacerbated a national mental health crisis, the company’s revenue has soared. Its stock price has more than doubled.

But a New York Times investigation found that some of that success was built on a disturbing practice: Acadia has lured patients into its facilities and held them against their will, even when detaining them was not medically necessary.

In at least 12 of the 19 states where Acadia operates psychiatric hospitals, dozens of patients, employees and police officers have alerted the authorities that the company was detaining people in ways that violated the law, according to records reviewed by The Times. In some cases, judges have intervened to force Acadia to release patients."

READ FULL STORY

Author: wtsp.com

Published: 10:25 AM EDT July 29, 2024

7th Annual event commemorating Purple Heart Day.

This special event is being held to honor members of the U.S. military and veterans in observance of Purple Heart Day to recognize those who have been awarded the Purple Heart Medal for their service.  

First given in 1932, a Purple Heart is awarded to U.S. military personnel wounded or killed in action, and is the oldest military award still presented to U.S. service personnel. 

COMMITTED: Why And How Children Are the Fastest Growing Group Under Florida's Baker Act

Stein acted as a consultant to the journalist for this award winning 5 part investigative series on the Baker Act and was interviewed for the 

5th and final segment of the series. 

Committed: Improving Florida’s Baker Act For Children A Challenge 

"Unfortunately, whether it’s due to the law being used as a disciplinary tool, or a misguided attempt to create a sense of safety — specifically in our schools — this law is being abused and parents are being left out of the process," Stein said

Mental Health Expert: Why Are We Still Electroshocking Children?

By: Diane D. Stein Jan 17, 2024 at 10:40 AM EST

Human Rights Expert: Parents Deserve to Be Involved In Their Child's Mental Health

By: Diane D. Stein 7/19/23 AT 10:10 AM EDT

Human Rights Expert: How To Ensure School Mental Health Initiatives Don’t Violate Parental Rights

By: Diane D. Stein 3/31/23 AT 10:02 AM EDT

Human Rights Expert: Why Everyone Should Care About Coercive Psychiatry

By: Diane D. Stein 6/2/22 AT 11:30 AM EDT

Human Rights Expert: What the Mental Health Industry Gets Wrong About Suicide Prevention

By: Diane D. Stein 12/21/21 AT 10:25 AM EST

Published May 08, 2024 at 10:30 AM EDT

Two trends in American student life, one rooted in the past and one very modern, are not just threatening the mental health of our children but stripping them of the power to think critically in an era of unprecedented challenge.

The 19th-century education reformer John Dewey could never have foreseen how young people today would be so profoundly influenced by technology. But his views are still being applied to progressive education today — and at a time of concern that social media is already eroding students' self-worth. Rather than an obscure figure from the past, Dewey is still relevant today. It's time for a history lesson.

Surge in Baker Act exams for children under 10 

"There's a huge problem," said Diane Stein President of the Citizen Commission on Human Rights, a non-profit watchdog group that often fields calls from frustrated parents whose children have been Baker Acted without their knowledge.

"The Baker Act kind of becomes a knee jerk solution for schools in order to handle these types of situations when they don't know exactly what to do with the child," Stein said.

Orlando-area schools see increase in Baker Acts on students after Parkland shooting

"A lot of officers and deputies are under the mistaken impression that the only thing they need to worry about is whether the person is a danger to self or others. That's incorrect," Stein said. "It is just too easy to Baker Act."

So what does Stein think could help? Parent involvement.

"The simple solution is bring the parents in," Stein said. "The majority of parents are good people; they want to help their kids. They want to do what is right for their child. So if there is a perceived problem, whether it is mental illness or perceived mental illness or some other problem, bring the parents in. Have the conversation with the parents. That education point alone would go a long way to reducing the number of Baker Acts of children in the state."