The story
In 1946, Mind was founded under its original name as the National Association for Mental Health (NAMH) from three voluntary organisations that provided services for the "maladjusted, emotionally disturbed or mentally handicapped to any degree".
The National Association for Mental Health was formed (initially as national Council) by the merging of the following three organisations toward the end of the second world war:
Central Association for Mental Welfare (CAMW)
National Council for Mental Hygiene (NCMH)
Child Guidance Council (CGC)
From 1946 to 1951, the first director was Ms M. C. Owen.
From 1947 to 1951, the medical director was Dr Alfred Torrie.
In 1951, both roles (director and medical director) were combined for Mary Applebey.
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The NCMH had been an organisation of psychiatrists and psychologists, while the CAMW comprised representatives of various voluntary bodies. Among other things, they helped run and monitor institutions for the mentally handicapped, and developed training for mental health professionals. They were both part of the social hygiene movement, and had advocated eugenics and sterilisation as a means of dealing with those considered too mentally deficient to be assisted into healthy productive work and contented family life.
The beginnings of the National Association for Mental Health also coincided with the development of the National Health Service and the welfare state.
In 1969, numerous Scientologists joined the NAMH and attempted to ratify as official policy a number of points concerning the treatment of psychiatric patients. When their identity was exposed they were expelled from the organisation en masse. The Church of Scientology in 1971 unsuccessfully sued the NAMH over the matter in the High Court. The case was resisted by Appleby and the NCMH, and the case became notable in British charity law.
The MIND Campaign (1970)
In 1970, Michael Murphy, an advertising executive living with alcohol addiction and mental health challenges, approached Mary Applebey at NAMH to propose a campaign called MIND as "a marketing broad scale attack on prejudice against victims of mental illness".
On 16 February 1971, the MIND Campaign and Manifesto was launched under the direction of The Right Hon David Ennals, PC.
1970s
During the 1970s, the NCMH became involved with the debate raised by Ann Shearer that mental hospitals should be shut. Shearer, a Guardian journalist, was joined by Anita Hunt of the Spastics Society and an architect named Sandra Franklin to create the Campaign for the Mentally Handicapped (CMH). They estimated that there were 8,000 mentally handicapped children in hospitals, and they and parent groups wanted this to end. They lobbied the NCMH but Appleby resisted their central objective, although they offered support in other areas. Appleby wanted to avoid the hospital-v.-community debate, but she saw the hospital as a focus with mental handicap able to attract separate government funding.
1990s
Since 1992, when it was first observed, Mind has celebrated World Mental Health Day, which occurs annually on 10 October.
2000s
In 2006, Paul Farmer became chief executive of Mind, moving from his position as director of public affairs at the charity Rethink. He is due to leave this post in October 2022.
In 2008, the charity Mental Health Media (formerly the Mental Health Film Council founded in 1963 following a Mind initiative) was merged into Mind, shutting down its Open Up service which had sought to empower mental health service users to speak up in their communities, and bringing with it control over its Mental Health Media Awards.
2010s
In the early-to-mid 2010s, Matt Wilkinson, a British radio presenter, hosted interview podcasts with guests who described their mental health experiences and issues related to those experiences.
In 2011, Stephen Fry succeeded Melvyn Bragg as President of Mind.
From Wikipedia’s article on Mind (charity), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5