Episode 11, Part I: Abolish Forced Treatment Now with Rob Wipond

“Stop it. Abolish involuntary commitment.” — Rob Wipond — — What does consent mean if it can be withdrawn on your behalf? Investigative journalist Rob Wipond joins Dr. Michael R. Montgomery for the first part of a conversation about forced psychiatric treatment, the authority to override another person’s agency, and the lives behind the language of protection. For Rob, author of *Your Consent Is Not Required*, the investigation began close to home: his father went to a psychiatric hospital seeking help and was held against his will. There is a particular loneliness in asking for help and discovering that your account of yourself no longer carries weight. Beneath the arguments about treatment and risk lies something deeply human: the need to speak honestly about suffering without becoming a problem to be managed. Michael and Rob ask what we are willing to justify in the name of care—and what we fail to hear when we are certain we already know what someone needs. — “Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” — C.S. Lewis — — **Follow Rob**Rob Wipond’s website — PsychForce Report on Substack — Read Rob’s book, ‘Your Consent is Not Required **Follow us on\***psychophobia.com — Substack — LinkedIn — Instagram — YouTube Send us a message: speakpipe.com/psychophobia — — **Rob Wipond** is an investigative journalist and author of *Your Consent Is Not Required: The Rise in Psychiatric Detentions, Forced Treatment, and Abusive Guardianships*. His reporting examines the intersection of psychiatry, civil rights, policing, and surveillance, with particular attention to coercion in mental health care. His work has received seventeen magazine and journalism award nominations. He also publishes *PsychForce Report*, a newsletter tracking the expanding use of forced psychiatric interventions. — **Dr. Michael R. Montgomery\*** Dr. Montgomery is an existential psychoanalyst with international expertise in complex trauma, extreme states, addiction, and conflict resolution. He trained at Regent’s University London, the Tavistock and Portman, and the Anna Freud Centre. He is the founder of Logic23.com and Peacefire.us, and his clinical work is primarily community-based, focusing on patients typically excluded from quality care. A regular contributor to the Society for Existential Analysis, the R.D. Laing Symposium, and ISPS-US, he has over 30 published peer-reviewed works and is currently developing a new book alongside this podcast. — — **Episode Chapters\***0:00:00 – Cold Open: “Behind These Statistics Are Broken Lives”0:00:25 – Welcome to psychophobia\*0:00:32 – What Would You Tell Congress?0:03:23 – The Parting Shot: Abolish Forced Treatment0:04:54 – *Your Consent Is Not Required*0:06:32 – Finding Hope in Connection0:08:08 – Rob’s Father & the Beginning of an Investigation0:11:07 – Losing Your Rights—and Your Voice0:11:54 – When Words Become Grounds for Detention0:14:02 – Where Can You Go to Scream?0:15:39 – Who Gets Held, Who Gets Turned Away?0:19:03 – Targets, Good Intentions & Institutional Harm0:21:17 – What Forced Treatment Does to Practitioners0:23:13 – Refusing to Participate: Michael’s Social Work Training0:25:09 – Coercion Beyond the Hospital0:27:03 – Homelessness, Housing & the Push for Commitment0:28:01 – Profit, Human Contact & the Need for a Hug0:30:09 – The People Behind the Caricature0:33:32 – Meeting Brokenheartedness with Openheartedness0:34:24 – “You’re the First Person That’s Ever Actually Listened”0:36:37 – When Nobody Asks Your Story0:37:22 – Losing Your Phone, Losing Your Stability0:39:25 – Community Support Versus Isolation0:40:10 – Psychiatric Detention & Due Process0:41:39 – Wellness Checks & Epistemic Destabilization0:44:13 – False Reports & the Question of Accountability — — Please note that while I am a therapist, I am not your therapist. This podcast explores mental health and the human experience, but it is not a substitute for therapy, medical care, or professional advice. Any decisions regarding your mental health, including changes to medication or treatment, should be made in consultation with a qualified healthcare professional you trust. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit psychophobia.substack.com