In 1900 Clifford W. Beers lost his mind. Seven years later, with the encouragement of William James, he wrote an autobiography describing how he found it. More than 40 printings later, A Mind That Found Itself, continues to influence consumer advocates for improved conditions for individuals with severe mental illness.
Beers made a serious suicide attempt while an undergraduate at Yale University. He was admitted to a succession of mental hospitals for treatment of manic-depressive illness, marked by catatonia, paranoid delusions and Capgras’ syndrome. He described in vivid detail the devastation of his illness, the degradation of abuse and neglect, as well as his deliverance through the attention and kindness of a few of his caretakers. Beers passed from a proprietary hospital (Stamford Hall), through a not-for-profit asylum (The Hartford Retreat), to the Connecticut Hospital for the insane. As his condition worsened and his financial resources diminished, he was exposed to the full range of treatment settings. When he recovered, he devoted himself to the improvement of the conditions of treatment for individuals with mental illness.
A Mind That Found Itself attracted enormous interest among the general public and the professional community. The initial support of William James and later, somewhat less enthusiastic support of Adolf Meyer encouraged Beers to work to establish an advocacy organization. Beers devoted his life to creating, staffing, and nurturing the Connecticut Society of Mental Hygiene, the Nation Committee for Mental Hygiene, and the International Congress for Mental Hygiene. He became the first executive director of the National Committee for Mental Hygiene, which eventually became the National Mental Health Association. Beers was the first important American consumer advocate, and his efforts launched a reform movement that altered the landscape of American psychiatry. The mental hygiene movement sponsored the development of psychopathic hospital and clinics, moving practice from segregated institutions into medical centers and community settings.
From a contemporary perspective, Beers greatest contribution was giving a voice to consumers. He was a successful early model of consumer activism. For some contemporary activists, perhaps he was too involved with professionals and what they thought of him, but he was effective and influential. The life of Clifford Beers (1876-1943) spanned an era of great discovery in medicine, but none that would improve his condition. He reentered a mental hospital in 1939 where he died 4 years later of bronchopneumonia. He was despondent that his life’s work was incomplete. Today, both his bipolar disorder and his respiratory infection could have been treated successfully. Still, the need for consumer advocacy and activism remains as vital today as it was in Beer’s era.
Beers made a serious suicide attempt while an undergraduate at Yale University. He was admitted to a succession of mental hospitals for treatment of manic-depressive illness, marked by catatonia, paranoid delusions and Capgras’ syndrome. He described in vivid detail the devastation of his illness, the degradation of abuse and neglect, as well as his deliverance through the attention and kindness of a few of his caretakers. Beers passed from a proprietary hospital (Stamford Hall), through a not-for-profit asylum (The Hartford Retreat), to the Connecticut Hospital for the insane. As his condition worsened and his financial resources diminished, he was exposed to the full range of treatment settings. When he recovered, he devoted himself to the improvement of the conditions of treatment for individuals with mental illness.
A Mind That Found Itself attracted enormous interest among the general public and the professional community. The initial support of William James and later, somewhat less enthusiastic support of Adolf Meyer encouraged Beers to work to establish an advocacy organization. Beers devoted his life to creating, staffing, and nurturing the Connecticut Society of Mental Hygiene, the Nation Committee for Mental Hygiene, and the International Congress for Mental Hygiene. He became the first executive director of the National Committee for Mental Hygiene, which eventually became the National Mental Health Association. Beers was the first important American consumer advocate, and his efforts launched a reform movement that altered the landscape of American psychiatry. The mental hygiene movement sponsored the development of psychopathic hospital and clinics, moving practice from segregated institutions into medical centers and community settings.
From a contemporary perspective, Beers greatest contribution was giving a voice to consumers. He was a successful early model of consumer activism. For some contemporary activists, perhaps he was too involved with professionals and what they thought of him, but he was effective and influential. The life of Clifford Beers (1876-1943) spanned an era of great discovery in medicine, but none that would improve his condition. He reentered a mental hospital in 1939 where he died 4 years later of bronchopneumonia. He was despondent that his life’s work was incomplete. Today, both his bipolar disorder and his respiratory infection could have been treated successfully. Still, the need for consumer advocacy and activism remains as vital today as it was in Beer’s era.