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The first state hospital for the mentally ill was opened in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1773. Before this, the mentally ill were cared for by family and with people who were sick with diseases and others with different diabilities. -
Dorothea Lyde Dix was a school teacher and volunteered to teach at the East Cambridge women's jail on Sundays in 1841. She realized there were mentally ill people in the jail and was horrified by this and the inhumane conditions. After this, she felt the need to do something about it and visited every jail, prison, and almhouse in Massachusetts as she recorded her findings. She sent her report to the legislation in 1843 in which authorized the building of mentally ill hospitals. -
Between the 1900s and the 1920s, the work of Sigmund Freud was introduced in the United states from Germany and became widely known and accepted. He wrote about the psychoanalytic theory as many social workers were hired at private and public mental clinics to utilize the this theory. Social workers became very valuable and it spurred the growth of the profession. -
Clifford Beers wrote a book called A mind That Found Itself explaining a personal story of inhumane treatment for years at both private and state facilities after suffereing a mental breakdown. The book attracted the attention of many professionals and the public. He founded the Connecticut Society for Mental Hygeine and helped with the development. Thus, advocating for the federal government to intervene and recognize mental illness. -
The first book written on child psychotherapy was written by psychologist Jessie Taft. It was based off of her experiences with the Childrens Aid Society in Pennsylvania. Taft and Virginia Robinson, a social work professor, developed the functional school of social work. This focused on functional theory and is a precursor for modern-day therapy. -
The first major development of Mental Health was the National Mental Health Act of 1946. It provided funding for research, training, and other projects to help states develop mental health prevention and treatment. -
The other major federal legislation relating to mental health was passed in 1963 known as The Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963. President John F. Kennedy strongly supported the act. This act provided monetary funds for the construction of mental health facilities. It demanded that care for patients must continue even if they did not have the funds. -
From 1970 to 2025, the mental health field has been worked on with many important events taken place. From laws that health insurance cover mental illness to groups like the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and many more acts contributed to the shaping and defining of mental illness care.