Massachusetts Association for Mental Health (MAMH)

The Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, Inc. (MAMH) was established in 1913 under the name Massachusetts Society for Mental Hygiene. It was part of a national and international mental hygiene movement started 1905 by Clifford Whittingham Beers. Beers' first-hand experience of the poor state of psychiatric hospitals motivated him to improve practices for people with mental health conditions and educate the public on prevention and treatment. Beers wanted his movement to reach beyond hospital walls and into the community, and his hope was that every state would establish a Society for Mental Hygiene.