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Mental Hygiene Movement

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The World Health Organization (2001) defined mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her own community.”
The broad and complex concept of mental health can be understood further using a historical and evolutionary perspective. The origins of mental health can be traced down to the developments in public health, in clinical psychiatry, and in other branches of knowledge. Before 1946, there were no available references to mental health, but references to the corresponding concept of “mental hygiene” were found (Bertolote, 2008). William Sweetser (1843) first introduced …show more content…

Other professionals eventually convinced him to focus on the prevention and early treatment of mental problems (Toms, 2010). The reason for this shift was that mental disorders usually begin in childhood and it is easier to prevent during the early years of life (Bertolote, 2008). Beers, along with psychiatrist Adolf Meyer and philosopher William James, founded the National Committee for Mental Hygiene (NCMH) in 1909. The organization worked towards improving attitude towards mental illness, improving services for people with mental illness, preventing mental illness, and promoting mental health. It was the predecessor to the National Mental Health Association, and is known today as Mental Health America, which continues Beers’ mission to promote mental health, including prevention services for all, early identification and intervention for those at risk, integrated care, services, and support for those who need it. Beers’ work serves as a foundation for mental hygiene and public health, and endures in mental health services throughout the world (Mental Health America,

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