Mental Health Rights Expert
Diane D. Stein
Diane Stein accepted a leadership role at the Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) in 2015.
Nonpolitcal 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 involving children and the violation of parental and child rights under these circumstances.
WFSU Public Media
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
Newsweek
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: Why We Need a Foster Child Bill of Rights
By: Diane D. Stein 2/9/22 AT 11:50 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
FOX 4 Southwest Florida
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.
News 6 WKMG CBS
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."
Honors and Awards
