The Baker Act Is a Weapon — And the System That Profits From It Must Be Exposed

For years, we’ve been told a lie about what it means to struggle. We are told we have “mental illnesses” that require immediate, heavy medication. But as Dr. Daniel G. Amen so brilliantly points out in his #1 New York Times Bestseller, The End of Mental Illness, we are not dealing with mental health issues. We are dealing with brain health issues. And the distinction is everything. The current system labels people and pushes pills instead of actually healing the brain.

How It Started: A Normal Kid, Immediate Medication

My anxiety started in high school during wrestling. I was a normal kid playing sports, but I had so much performance anxiety that I would freeze up during matches. That’s when the system’s answer came: immediately put him on Zoloft. No coaching. No breathing exercises. No therapy. Just pills. That was the beginning of a lifelong pattern where the medical establishment chose medication over actually teaching me the tools I needed to manage my mind.

From there, OCD and depression followed, and the pills kept piling on. No one ever offered real therapy. No one taught me breathing exercises, no one gave me coping tools, and no one sat down just to talk it out. The goal wasn’t to heal me; it was to prescribe pills that turn people into zombies. I experienced “brain zaps”—a known withdrawal and side effect from psychiatric medications. It was weird, disturbing, and disorienting. I wish I had known that other options existed when I was younger. I wish someone had told me there was a better way.

We see a different, more effective approach in resources like Pastor Craig Groeschel’s Heal Your Hurting Mind. He offers a faith-based approach that provides biblical hope for anxiety, depression, and burnout. He offers real tools, not just a prescription pad. Even the military uses tactical breathing exercises and practical tools that actually work to regulate the nervous system. Why doesn’t the psychiatric system teach these basic, foundational practices before jumping straight to heavy medication?

The Baker Act: Medical Malpractice and Denial of Care

I experienced the absolute worst of this broken system firsthand when I was wrongfully Baker Acted. During my hold, they outright denied me my prescribed testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Anyone with basic medical knowledge knows that without TRT, depression, low mood, and brain fog are predictable, physiological medical side effects. They are not signs of a sudden mental breakdown. Yet, the facility pointed to those exact withdrawal symptoms as “evidence” of my psychiatric problems. It is circular logic, and frankly, it is malpractice.

The medical records from that time are a disaster. I repeatedly asked for my correct medication. Eventually, a doctor admitted that mistakes were made and noted multiple errors in my records. Another doctor allegedly fabricated information about me that I don’t even remember—likely because I was heavily drugged and sedated against my will. You wake up not knowing what day it is, and they use your confusion against you.

What these doctors are doing is malice. They are lying to people. They are making up information in medical records. And they are getting paid to do it. Who knows who is paying them off. This is evil. Their only defense against me exposing them is to call me “crazy.” But I am not crazy. I am willing to submit to a comprehensive psychological evaluation to prove it. My friends include Pace Morby, one of the most successful real estate moguls in the country, and Mark Sorrentino from MTV’s Jersey Shore. These are the caliber of people who know the real Adam—successful, intelligent, driven people who see through the lies. I am not the problem. The system is.

The Dangerous Reality: Sexual Harassment, Drug Side Effects, and Negligence

But the medical malpractice was only part of the nightmare. These facilities are not just medically incompetent—they are dangerous. I could not lock my door. I had no protection. And while I was held there, I witnessed and experienced horrors that no patient should endure.

There was a female patient who appeared normal when I first encountered her. But the facility’s reckless over-medication of patients created a catastrophic situation. After being repeatedly injected and heavily drugged by staff, she became sexually aggressive toward me. She repeatedly tried to touch me, wanting to sleep with me. I kept telling her to stop. Meanwhile, I would wake up around 4 AM unable to fall back asleep, feeling messed up from whatever they were giving me. I was dealing with severe restless legs—a direct side effect of their medications—and the facility provided no proper nutrition or medical support to address it. I had to find peanut butter and jelly myself to get potassium and magnesium just to function. That’s how neglectful they were.

But the abuse extended beyond me. That same female patient would scream for help because the staff kept injecting her. No one came. No one protected her. The facility had created this dangerous environment through their own reckless over-medication and then abandoned their patients to fend for themselves. A fellow patient named Chris reported these issues to the sheriff. Nothing was done. They all know what is going on inside those walls.

It was terrible what I witnessed there. Other patients being drugged into zombie states. People screaming for help. No real care being provided. Just chemical restraint and neglect.

I came home with five band-aids on my body from injections I did not know about and never consented to. I have no memory of large portions of my stay—evidence of being chemically sedated into incoherence. Let me ask you something: are you supposed to suffer from amnesia in a medical facility? No. You should NOT lose your memory in a place claiming to provide care. The fact that I can’t remember large portions of my stay is not a symptom of mental illness. It is evidence of being over-medicated and drugged without my consent. This is not treatment. This is chemical restraint.

This is not just about bad medicine. This is about predatory negligence. These facilities drug vulnerable people into altered states and then fail to protect them from harm. That is not healthcare. That is abuse.

The Hollow Facade of “Treatment”: Drugs and Crayons

Here’s what really exposes the fraud: there was no talk therapy at all in these facilities. Nothing. Zero actual therapeutic intervention. No cognitive behavioral therapy. No group therapy. No breathing exercises. No coping strategies. No real treatment whatsoever.

All they did was put patients on mood stabilizers and chemical sedation. And you know what their “activity program” was? They had a bunch of crayons on the table and coloring pages. Yes, I colored too—out of sheer boredom. There was literally nothing else to do. But the point stands: the only “therapy” offered was crayons and coloring pages while being pumped full of drugs.

I was taking their medication because I had trouble falling asleep (likely caused by whatever they were doing to me), but eventually I just stopped. I said, “I can’t do this.” Finally, after I refused and advocated for myself, they gave me the correct medication. But it took me refusing their poison and demanding better to get proper care.

These facilities are billing insurance companies and Medicare for “psychiatric treatment” while providing nothing but chemical sedation and coloring books. They’re making money hand over fist while delivering zero actual care. It’s a scam. It’s fraud. And it’s destroying lives.

Faith: The Only Real Therapy

You know what kept me sane in there? God. My Bible and another book that helped renew my mind. God was the only thing that kept me from being completely sucked in by the system. Without my faith, I would have been lost. My faith was my lifeline when everything else was taken from me.

This is what the psychiatric system refuses to acknowledge: the human spirit, the power of faith, the ability to heal through connection to something greater than ourselves. Instead, they offer pills and crayons. Is it any wonder people don’t get better?

Breaking the Stigma: Why I Refuse to Be Silent

The stigma is real. Even my own father said, “You sure you should probably take that down?” about my Baker Act posts. That’s how deep the stigma runs—even family members are afraid of the label. This is exactly what the system counts on. Silence. Shame. Fear.

But here’s the thing: reframing from “mental health” to “brain health” changes everything. When you see your problems as medical, not moral, it shifts the entire narrative. According to Dr. Amen’s framework, this reframing:

• Decreases stigma, shame, and guilt
• Increases compassion and forgiveness from families
• Provides a more accurate description of the biology involved
• Elevates hope
• Increases compliance with actual treatment plans

I have NO shame. Why should there be stigma? People have bad days. That’s normal. But the fact is, what happened to me was UNLAWFUL. I’m fighting because it was wrongfully done to me. I have nothing to hide.

I refuse to be silenced by the stigma. That’s exactly what the system counts on—people being too ashamed to speak up. I am breaking that cycle. My story, my voice, my truth—they belong out in the open. And I’m not alone. There are thousands of others ready to do the same.

A System Built to Profit, Not to Heal

These for-profit hospitals are businesses first and foremost. Everyone from the administrators to the staff is on the payroll to keep patients trapped in the system. They mess up people’s lives for a paycheck. And the Baker Act is their ultimate tool to ensure the beds stay full.

The Baker Act is a weapon. Once you are subjected to it, the stigma follows you like a shadow. It is used to silence people, to discredit them, and to strip them of their fundamental rights. I want my name removed from that registry because I do not belong on it. The entire Baker Act system needs to be abolished or fundamentally reformed before it destroys more innocent lives.

Political Action: Port St. Lucie Residents, It’s Time to Vote

Real change doesn’t happen in courtrooms alone. It happens at the ballot box. The exploitation of vulnerable people through the Baker Act does not happen in a vacuum—it requires political cover. The current leadership in Port St. Lucie has allegedly allowed this system of exploitation to continue unchecked, enabling for-profit psychiatric facilities to prey on residents without accountability.

I am personally endorsing Steve Giordano for Mayor of Port St. Lucie. Steve is someone who will stand up for residents, fight corruption, and put an end to the Baker Act abuse that is destroying lives in our community. If you live in Port St. Lucie, I am asking you directly: get out and vote. Vote for Steve Giordano. Vote for accountability. Vote for the people who have been silenced, drugged, and discarded by a system that was supposed to protect them.

This is not about politics for me. I’ve never been a political person. But when you experience what I experienced—when you see what is happening to people in this city—you realize that staying silent is not an option. Change starts locally. It starts with who we put in office. And it starts now.

This Is Not Just My Story — It’s a Movement

I am not alone. Many more people are coming out of the woodwork from Facebook groups and support communities, sharing their own Baker Act horror stories. This is not an isolated incident. This is a systemic issue affecting countless people in Port St. Lucie, across Florida, and beyond. The movement is growing, and people are demanding accountability.

If you or someone you know has been wrongfully Baker Acted or abused in a psychiatric facility, you are not alone. Join the class action sign-up to stand with us against Baker Act abuse. Together, we can expose this corrupt system and demand real change.

All doctors involved in my case will be subpoenaed. I want answers. I want to know what is going on inside these facilities. I want to know who is getting paid and why they are fabricating information about patients. The truth will come out, and accountability will follow.

My Mission: Why I’m Speaking Out

I’m Adam Levine. I’ve never been involved in politics. But after this happened to me, I am telling the world—because I want to help people. That’s what I’m here to do. I want to help people. And this is part of my Mount Everest, and I figured it out.

My calling extends beyond the Baker Act. I also fight antisemitism. As a proud Jewish man living in Port St. Lucie, and as a member of Owners Club alongside Pace Morby, I refuse to stay silent in the face of hatred and injustice in any form. Whether it is the exploitation of the mentally vulnerable, the corruption of local government, or the rise of antisemitism in our communities—I will speak. I will fight. I will not be silenced.

I wish I had known more as a young kid navigating these struggles. But now I know the truth, and my mission is clear: I am going to help as many people as possible avoid the nightmare I went through.

In The End of Mental Illness, Dr. Amen notes that Abraham Lincoln fought clinical depression his entire life, but that very struggle gave him the profound empathy and tools to save our nation. I believe my suffering was not in vain. It is giving me the tools, the voice, and the absolute resolve to expose this corrupt system and save others.

Legal Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author, Adam Levine, based on his personal experiences and opinions. Political endorsements reflect the author’s personal opinion only. This article contains allegations regarding specific medical professionals, facilities, public officials, and incidents; these claims are alleged and represent the author’s personal account and perspective. This content is for informational and advocacy purposes only and should not be construed as medical or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding medical conditions and treatments. The author reserves all rights to pursue legal remedies regarding the incidents described herein.