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Harsh Conditions
First state hospital for the mentally ill opened in the U.S. in Williamsburg, Virginia. Conditions were cruel and harsh. -
Dorothea Lynde Dix's Activism & Research
Dorothea Dix documented years of research of the terrible conditions people with mental illnesses were living in. This created state-funded asylums across the U.S. -
Marie Antoniette Cannon
She was the first social worker to enter the mental health field of practice at Massachusetts General Hospital. -
Freud's Psychoanalysis Theory
As Freudian theory was gaining popularity, mental health clinics began hiring many social workers to provide psychotherapy. -
American Association of Psychiatric Social Workers
A strong force called the AAPSW was founded, which later merged with NASW in 1955. This caused a huge growth of the social work profession -
WWII
Army hospitals resulted in a huge need and expansion for mental health social services, with over 1 million people having neuropsychiatric disorders being admitted. VA hospitals became the largest employers for social workers. -
The Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act
Provided grants for construction of community mental health facilities to treat people with chronic mental illness. It defined the concept of continuum care. -
National Alliance on Mental Illness
A consumer movement with the goal of improving the lives of those with mental illnesses. Has affiliate offices in all 50 states as of today. -
Bill Clinton
Clinton signed the Mental Health Bill of Rights which was a set of principles to ensure that basic consumer rights were met. -
Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
Laws that were passed that required insurance plans to extend coverage to care for mental health and addiction disorders. -
Mental Health Crisis Hotline
An easy to remember three-digit number was officially implemented that all providers were required to activate.