Public+Opinion

=** Public Opinion **=

__**Important Laws/Legislation**__

- Mental Treatment Act (1930): British law that encouraged outpatient and other services benefiting the mentally ill; this law was the first to legislate community-geared services

Although the Mental Treatment Act was put into effect in the early 1930s, its enforcement and results were inhibited due to the Great Depression and World War II. Despite this, and despit the fact that the law was written and legislated in Britain rather than America, it signaled a general movement towards acceptance and willingness to help those with mental illnesses.

- National Mental Health Act (1946) - legislation approved by President Truman designed to generate more research towards mental health and illness

The National Mental Health Act created a research board, the National Institute of Mental Health. This organization's goals are to research the anatomy and jobs of the brain and to look at the mind and behavior. Doing research on these is meant to provide scientists with a better understanding of mental disorders: how they come to be, how they manifest physically, and how they can cured and ultimately prevented in the future. The Act also led to federal investigations of clinics and other services for the mentally ill. The investigations uncovered maltreatment and poor living conditions that represented the prejudices that still existed, though they were somewhat disguised.

__**Important Books/People**__

- Karl Menninger (1930): a psychiatrist who wrote many books that changed the way the public viewed mental illness (//The Human Mind, The Crime of Punishment//, and more)

Karl Menninger's books described the afflictions people with mental illnesses faced. He portrayed them as people not greatly unlike "normal" people. In his book //The Human Mind//, Menninger backed psychiatry as a legitimate, scientific practice. He worked towards spreading awareness about the true meaning of mental illness - that it had medical causes and did not drastically change who a person was. Menninger also fought for greater care for those with mental illnesses. He also supported psychiatric treatment for criminals; Menninger believed that increased psychicatric care would decrease the crime rate.

- Sigmund Freud (1930s) - a neurologist who theorized revolutionary ideas about the human unconscious, sexuality, and more

Sigmund Freud's new ideas suggested that perhaps mental illnesses were not the conflicted patients' fault. Problems in their unconscious, as seen in their dreams and free associations, could lead to their mental illnesses. Though Freud presented his theories in the 1800s, it was not until the 1930s, the Progressive Era, when people began to listen to his ideas and accept them. This perhaps signaled a growing tolerance of people with mental disorders.





In the early 1900s, the subject of mental health was a taboo one to the public. Then, starting in the 1930s, the public opinion started to change. Changes in politics and culture led to this progress of society. As is apparent by Mental Treatment Act of 1930, the whole world's view was beginning to evolve at this time. While there had been people like Dorothea Dix and Sigmund Freud who had fought for the rights of the mentally disabled in decades prior, their beliefs were only starting to be heard. This seemingly abrupt change can be viewed as an effect of the similarly-changing political and economic statuses of countries around the world. The Great Depression was coming to a close, and with the start of World War 2, America's own economy, as well as the economies of other countries was beginning to recover.



War not only improved America's production and exports but also provided for the unification of the American people. As can be seen in many other national events and wars in American history (as well as other countries'), a common enemy pulls a group of people together. This could be another reason why people with mental illnesses were starting to receive better treatment and opportunities, all due to more tolerance in the public.

The examples above show that Americans might have been slow to accept and help people with mental illness. The Mental Treatment Act was legislation passed in Britain. This shows the progress being made in Europe before America. As previously mentioned, the progressive ideas of the late 1800s by people like Dix and Freud were only coming into public view in the '30s. With literature and foreign legislation about mental illness and tolerance out by the early 1930s, there was still not enough change by the 1940s, warranting Truman's National Mental Health Act.

These simple facts from history illustrate the growing tolerance of the public's opinion of mental illness and mental health in the 1930s and early 1940s. While, by the end of this time period, there was still resistance to helping the mentally ill, it is apparent that the public opinion progressed to a more accepting view on the once-taboo topic.