Cleveland Clinic’s Mental Health Practices Under Fire as Court Dismisses Lawsuit
March 22, 2025
A recent court decision has put Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital’s mental health practices in the spotlight. The Florida appeals court backed the hospital’s request to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit, but this legal victory has raised more questions than it answered about how the hospital handles mental health emergencies.
The lawsuit stemmed from a tragic incident in March 2022, when 29-year-old Zachary Anderson was fatally shot by deputies while being treated for a mental health crisis at the hospital. While the court’s decision focused on legal technicalities, it has sparked a broader debate about the hospital’s approach to psychiatric care and medication management.
One major concern that has come to light is the apparent lack of reporting to the FDA’s MEDWATCH system. This system is designed to flag dangerous drug reactions, but there’s no evidence that Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital uses it for mental health patients. This is worrying, especially considering the hospital’s large-scale psychiatric care operations. They recently took on 2,600 patients needing psychiatric medications after another clinic closed, and they often use strong treatments like electroconvulsive therapy for patients, which is inhumane and has no scientific evidence of curing anything, but scrambles the brain.