Student forcibly sent to psychiatric hospital by college, court orders retrial

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How can you prove that you're mentally fine if you're mistakenly admitted into a psychiatric hospital? One college student in central China may have found the answer to that question.

A student in Luoyang City, central China's Henan Province, claimed that his university forcibly sent him to a mental health center after he was labeled “unsociable” in 2015, the Henan-based news publication jinbw.com reported on Monday.

A college student in Luoyang City claimed that he was forcibly sent to a local mental health center. / VCG Photo

He said he was forced to stay in the center for 134 days while undergoing mental and physical torment, including being forced to take medicine, being beaten and undergoing electrical shock treatment. However, he was diagnosed as mentally healthy by another hospital after he was released from the center.

As a result, the student is suing his university and the mental health center, accusing them of illegally restricting his personal freedom as well as severely damaging his mental and physical health.

The local court ruled last September that the college was not accountable, and that the mental health center was to compensate the student with 71,000 yuan (about 10,000 US dollars). Both sides have appealed the decision.

The People's Court of Luolong District responded that they had ordered a second trial. / VCG Photo

After the case sparked public outcry on social media, the city's People's Court of Luolong District stated that it had ordered a second trial, according to the court's Weibo page on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old male student told the media that he was admitted to college after he had been working for five years. As the oldest student and the only male in his class, he seldom communicated with classmates.

He claimed that the university had informed his mother of his unusual behavior, and then forcibly sent him to the mental health center without his consent. His mother had watched in shock as authorities took him away.

VCG Photo

However, the university told a completely different story during the first trial. It defended its actions, saying that the student had had disputes with teachers, students, and dormitory staff. They also asserted that he did not comply with the rules of the dormitory, disturbing the other students.

The mental health center also stated that their treatment was in line with protocol as the patient was sent to the center by his guardian, and his clinical examinations and medical history show that he matched the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia.

However, the student alleged that another hospital had diagnosed him to be mentally healthy after leaving the center.

He told the Paper that he had tried to connect with the outside world after he was taken to the mental health center, and even attempted to prove that he was sane, but failed to do so. He finally managed to leave the center after he signed an agreement promising not to tell the center's administrators that he was beaten by a nursing worker.