Silencing Critics by Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment: What Li Yixue Has Been Through

Author: Xun Jia

March 20, 2025

Local and central authorities in China have used involuntary psychiatric treatment for decades to suppress free speech ranging from minor government criticism to overt questioning of the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party.  Involuntary psychiatric treatment involves forcibly committing outspoken individuals to mental health facilities, often without their consent, under the guise of medical necessity. Critics argue that this is not about mental health care, but a deliberate strategy to discredit, isolate, and break down those who challenge the government.

An alarming recent case is that of Li Yixue, a popular influencer on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok). In April 2022, Li publicly accused a police officer of sexual assault. Authorities dismissed her claims due to “insufficient evidence.” Shortly after these allegations, Li was involuntarily committed to Jiangxi Mental Health Center in Nanchang for 56 days for “psychiatric treatment”. During her confinement, Li was forced to take medication and other coercive treatments. Upon her release in June 2022, she shared her experience online, describing the psychiatric facility as a “black jail.” Her testimony gained significant attention on social media, which led to intensified harassment from the Chinese authorities. In early 2025, after renewed online coverage of her case, Li was once again forcibly institutionalized. Since this second detention, there has been no information regarding her condition or whereabouts, raising fears about her safety and well-being from concerned citizens.

A screenshot of Li Yixue’s Douyin post. She says: “But I never thought that I would be locked up in a psychiatric facility” [Image source: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hk.epochtimes.com/news/2025-01-07/54734326&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1742478757599458&usg=AOvVaw3uwHVSTMTSrVT6vmtvLxw3]

Li Yixue’s case is not an isolated incident. Human rights organizations and independent investigations have documented over 500 cases of politically motivated psychiatric detention in China since 2007. Victims of this practice include activists, whistleblowers, and ordinary citizens voicing grievances. Many of them report being subjected to forced intake of psychotropic drugs, electroshock treatment, and prolonged isolation—methods intended to break their resolve and undermine their credibility. It is worth noting that such administrations are often arbitrary and lack a medical foundation. 

Despite the introduction of China’s Mental Health Law in 2013, which theoretically restricts involuntary inpatient institutionalization to cases where individuals pose a threat to themselves or others, significant loopholes persist. These legal gaps allow authorities, and even family members, to commit individuals against their will, often with little to no oversight. For instance, the law authorizes police, rather than independent third parties composed of medical professionals, to oversee some psychiatric facilities, where instances of physical discipline,  electric shock, and sleep deprivation are prevalent among the political prisoners detained there. Reports from organizations such as Human Rights Watch have consistently highlighted these abuses occurring in China and other authoritarian states, calling for an immediate cease of these violations, urgent reform, and stronger legal protections against these violations.

Inside of a Police-Managed Psychiatric Facility. [Image source: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1519392/discharge-law-traps-many-healthy-people-chinese-mental-hospitals-experts]

The abuse of psychiatric treatment for suppressing dissidents is not just a violation of individual human rights; it also undermines the integrity of mental health care in China. By weaponizing psychiatry, the Chinese authorities diminish public trust in medical institutions, discourage individuals from seeking legitimate mental health care, and censor public dissent.  As long as the Chinese authorities continue to abuse their power in this way there will be an increase in cases similar to Li Yixue who are silenced under the guise of caring for mental health. 

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Glossary

• Authoritarian: favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom.

• Coercive: relating to or using force or threats.

• Credibility: the quality of being trusted and believed in.

• Discredit: harm the good reputation of (someone or something).

• Dissident: a person who opposes official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state.

• Deliberate: done consciously and intentionally

• Detention: the action of detaining someone or the state of being detained in official custody, especially as a political prisoner

• Electroshock: relating to medical treatment by means of electric shocks.

• Guise: an external form, appearance, or manner of presentation, typically concealing the true nature of something.

• Institutionalized: established as part of an official organization.

• Medical Necessity: the determination that a healthcare service or treatment is required for the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a medical condition

• Mental Health Care: a range of services that treat and support people with mental illnesses and impairments.

• Psychiatric Facility: a place that provides treatment for people with mental illnesses

• Psychotropic: relating to or denoting drugs that affect a person's mental state.

• Sexual Assault: sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent of the victim

• Suppress: prevent the development, action, or expression of (a feeling, impulse, idea, etc.); restrain.

• Undermines: lessen the effectiveness, power, or ability of, especially gradually or insidiously.

• Whistleblower: a person who informs on a person or organization engaged in an illicit activity.