Mental Health America

Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association) is a nonprofit organization with seat in Alexandria, Virginia, dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives, especially individuals living with mental illnesses.

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With more than 320 affiliated organizations around the country (on the state and local levels), Mental Health America represents a movement of people who promote mental wellness for the health and well-being of the nation. The local and state affiliates have either "Mental Health Association" or "Mental Health America" in their names. Each affiliated organizations serves their area and focuses on advocacy, public education, services and/or research.

The organization was founded in 1909 by Clifford Whittingham Beers, a young businessman who had a mental illness and shared his experience in his autobiography A Mind That Found Itself. Beers created the national citizens’ group to promote mental health and improve conditions for children and adults living with these health problems through establishing what we now know as Mental Health America. It was a revolutionary act at the time and attracted national leaders of the time, including the philosopher William James and the Rockefeller family.

Mental Health America's symbol is a 300-pound bell, cast by the McShane Bell Foundry in 1956 from metal shackles formerly used to bind patients. It bears the following inscription: "Cast from shackles which bound them, this bell shall ring out hope for the mentally ill and victory over mental illness."[1]