Views On Mental Health Over The Years
Mental Health was first recognized at the start of the 1900s. There was a very negative connotation around the idea of mental health as people viewed those who suffered from mental illnesses as victims, less than equals, or damaged people. The first person to publicly advocate for mental health awareness was Clifford Beers around 1905. Beers suffered a Bipolar Disorder episode after a tragic death of a family member, and upon his recovery, he founded the National Committee for Mental Hygiene. The committee is now known as Mental Health America. As stated by Copyright Mental Health America (2018), the committee had three main goals which became the basis of most all mental health awareness campaigns to follow; they are: "1. To improve attitudes toward mental illness and the mentally ill, 2. To improve services for people with mental illness, and 3. To work for the prevention of mental illnesses and the promotion of mental health." Shortly after Beers' efforts, a new piece of legislation was passed in 1945 with the National Mental Health Act. The National Health Act called for national funding and the establishment of the National Institute of Mental Health. [1] This act made mental health a federal priority for the first time in our country's history. Following this new legislation brought on by the Psychiatric Survivors Movement; a new group of supporters, lead by Judi Chamberlin, furthered the initiative more so when mental health advocacy was now brought to include process towards health services consumers trying to raise standards of health care and availability of mental health services. [2] Moving on thought the 70s, 80s, and even 90s health services availability was at a minimum and people were not able to seek and/or access medical treatment very easily. In 2005 a foundation called Mind Freedom was created, headed by David Oaks [3] This foundation, which is ran completely government-free, is affiliated with various sponsors dedicated to providing resources for mental health services consumers that are otherwise unable to get access to the needed health care they require. Mind Freedom is still one of the predominant mental health advocates in the country and the world. Their outreach has helped not only emulate the three main goals set forth by Mental Health America, but continue to raise the bar for improving medical standards, and access to health care as well. With today’s society having so much access to social media and other platforms of advocacy, the views on mental health are ever changing.
References[edit]
- ↑ "What We Do". National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved 21 Marchl 2018. Check date values in:
|accessdate=(help) - ↑ "Psychiatric Survivors Movement". International Mental Health Collaborating Network. International Mental Health Collaborating Network. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ↑ "Who We Are". Mind Freedom. MindFreedom International. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
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- ↑ "Who We Are". Mind Freedom. MindFreedom International. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ↑ "What We Do". National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved 21 Marchl 2018. Check date values in:
|accessdate=(help) - ↑ "Psychiatric Survivors Movement". International Mental Health Collaborating Network. International Mental Health Collaborating Network. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
