Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Museum — Attraction in Los Angeles

"Abandon every hope, all ye who enter here." - one translation (of many) of the Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri

The entire passage greets visitors upon entering the museum proper.

People are overprescribed medications. It's a major problem. Vast majority of mass shootings/terror attacks are carried out by people on SSRI's. Psychiatry: An Industry of Death museum shines a light on the origins of the pseudoscience known as psychiatry. Free admission for all those curious to come in. Owned & operated by the Church of Scientology, I didn't feel proselytized to during the few hours we were at the museum.

Ruthie was our docent, and she was quite pleasant & hospitable. She would dust off some one-liners here and there, and ask me right after if the joke was funny. She led us to each exhibit, gave a quick spiel, then leave us for a bit as we watch a video pertaining to the particular subject of the exhibit.

During the tour, I found where the term "bedlam" originated, awed at the medieval torture devices used to treat early patients and was flabbergasted at unsuspecting victims being lobotomized by having an icepick shoved through their eye socket & moved back and forth, causing violent brain trauma.

Some exhibits, I found, were a bit of a stretch, such as the terrorism exhibit. And, the preserved "heads" & what not were not real, only mockups.

I had my preconceived views of psychiatry, and Psychiatry: An Industry of Death only gave affirmation to mostly all of them. Especially with kids. Kids should not be put on Adderall and such.

Parking is via free their small private lot, and via streets behind the museum. Just beware the signs.

While I wouldn't drive to LA solely for this museum, I do believe Psychiatry: An Industry of Death is worth your time, as part of a full day/night trip in Los Angeles. I honestly believed it would've been more gruesome, seeing the creepy entrance with Dante's Divine Comedy being utilized for effect. Not for kids, it is good for sparking conversation. Just not a kick-off to a party weekend,...

I'm surprised the Scientologists don't have a "Medicine: An Industry of Death Museum" right alongside this one!

They could show leeches and cutting devices used for bloodletting back when standard medical procedure was to bleed the patient. Respected historians have even suggested that excessive bleeding was the cause of the death of George Washington! So that should be included.

Oh, wait, that is no longer being done as a medical treatment. (Well, actually, yes it is. But only for certain very specific disorders.)

Well then, how about when electricity first became popular and was used for medical "treatments"? I've seen some god-awful, nasty looking "electrical treatment machines" at the National Museum of Medical Pathology in Washington, D.C. They were used to administer doses of electricity to patients in the hope it would cure disease.

But electricity is no longer being administered to people as a medical treatment, right? (Wrong. Low doses of electricity are used in several medical situations. To stimulate bone regrowth after a fracture. To negate pain - also known as a TENS unit.)

The problem with this "museum" is a problem of perspective. Scientologists just don't like psychiatrists and psychologists. Period.

Okay. But they DO like following the writings of a man, L. Ron Hubbard, who commanded the use of coercive and oftentimes abusive techniques to promulgate control of his adherents lives and bank accounts. And as far as things that "aren't done any more" these same Scientologists have a long list of policies and directives they supposedly "don't do anymore". Things like forced abortions, forced family disconnection, severe and abusive punishments of errant disciples. Oh, and let's not forget breaking into government offices to steal information. For which the wife of Leader Hubbard took the rap and served prison time.

Before visiting this museum: Educate yourself, keep your hand firmly on your wallet, and DON'T agree to take their "free personality test" while in the...

Disappointing and Dehumanizing Experience

I’ve walked past the Psychiatry: An Industry of Death museum many times on Sunset Boulevard, but decided to stop and take a look today after noticing the pamphlets outside. A staff member came out and invited me in, which I initially appreciated—but from that point on, the experience went downhill quickly.

Although they emphasized multiple times that it was a self-guided tour, they kept repeating themselves in a way that felt unnecessarily condescending. It came off as if they assumed I wouldn't understand basic instructions, which was both insulting and uncomfortable.

Things got worse when I was told they needed to search my bag—not just secure it like at other institutions, but physically go through it. They insisted it was “just like the library,” which is simply untrue—I’m writing this from the library right now, where that’s never been my experience. I was willing to cooperate, but the staff kept fixating on it, making me feel more like a suspect than a guest.

To top it all off, they misgendered me even after we had introduced ourselves. That moment sealed the deal for me. The atmosphere inside already felt eerie and unwelcoming, and the staff’s cold, disconnected demeanor only amplified that. I left the pamphlet on the desk and walked out.

Maybe there’s valuable information in there—but I wouldn’t know, and frankly, I didn’t feel safe or respected enough to stick around and find out. I hope they seriously reconsider how they treat...