About Mental Health America
Mental Health America (MHA) is the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to promoting the mental health and well-being of all people living in the U.S.
With a network of affiliates across the country, we work at both the national and local levels to advance our mission through public education, research, advocacy and public policy, and direct service. Our work is informed, designed, and led by the lived experience of those most affected.
Our mission
Mental Health America advances the mental health and well-being of all people living in the U.S. through public education, research, advocacy and public policy, and direct service.
Our vision
Mental Health America envisions a world in which all people and communities have equitable opportunity for mental health and well-being and are enabled to flourish and live with purpose and meaning.
What makes us unique
Lived experience
We follow the lead of those with lived experience to improve the future of health and well-being.
Prevention
We invest in prevention to save lives today and save costs tomorrow.
Access
We advocate for access to affordable mental health care and reform wherever there has been harm, injustice, or exclusion in mental health.
Well-being
We leverage data to advance positive mental health and well-being for all, especially those who experience gaps in care and are not well served by existing systems.
Millions of people reached
We reach millions of people with trusted resources, tools, and live learning experiences through our national campaigns.
Shaping the future of mental health since 1909
Mental Health America was established in 1909 by a person with lived experience, Clifford W. Beers.
During his stays in public and private institutions, Beers witnessed and was subjected to horrible abuse. From these experiences, Beers set into motion a reform movement that took shape as Mental Health America.
Today, lived experience continues to anchor our work: shaping policy, advancing prevention, and transforming how the nation understands and promotes mental health and well-being for all.
The Mental Health Bell of Hope
In the early 1950s, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles which were then melted down and recast into the Mental Health “Bell of Hope”. The 300-pound Bell serves as a powerful reminder that the invisible chains of misunderstanding and discrimination continue to bind people with mental health conditions.
Make recovery possible for only $25
Your gift of $25 allows us to reach 500 individuals with essential public education tools and resources to support their mental health and recovery.