Canadian Mental Health Association commemorates its 100th anniversary
By Medicine Hat News on May 5, 2018.
It has been 100 years since Canadian Mental Health Association first opened its doors in Canada. It was 1917 when Dr. Clarence Hincks, who had been working out of a psychiatric clinic in Toronto for numerous years, could no longer hold in his frustrations as a mental health professional. To Hincks, asylums seemed inadequate and hostile. To add to that, nothing was being done to meet the needs of soldiers returning from war with post-traumatic stress disorder, a disease not yet acknowledged; nor was there any action in preventing the harsh symptoms of PTSD. Hincks knew something needed to be done, but what? Hincks found his calling after discovering an American man named Clifford Beers. Beers was the author of his novel “A Mind That Found Itself,” in which he recounted his mental health journey. Following his inspiration, Hincks also discovered that the man who inspired him was the driving force behind the National Committee for Mental Hygiene in the U.S. Together, Beers and Hincks began planning to bring mental hygiene to Canada. Hincks was able to persuade some powerful Canadians to participate in the cause — The Governor General, the Duke of Devonshire, agreed to serve as a patron. Hincks was also able to recruit the presidents of Canadian Pacific Railway, the Bank of Montreal, Molson’s, and several physicians at the University of Toronto and McGill. With a strong group of sponsors and board members, Canadian Mental Health Association was almost ready to take flight. Fast-forward approximately one year. An afternoon tea was hosted by a Mrs. Dunlap, who invited all of her wealthy friends to hear Clifford Beers speak. Nearly everyone agreed on the urgent need for support and prevention of what was then called “mental disease and deficiency.” On the day of April 26, 1918, the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene (CNCMH) had its first official meeting. CNCMH had a simple goal and agenda: social reform. Today, CMHA views the mental hygiene movement as a product of its time — we now know the language of “mental deficiency” as being discriminatory, but we must accept it as being the very first (and very late to the party) discussion of the essential mental health sciences. Hincks was right about a few core things: Mental health problems affect almost every home in Canada, soldiers had no treatment, and people struggling with mental illness were unjustly criminalized and jailed. Hincks also hit the nail on the head when he stated that the Canadian public was apathetic and afraid of mental disabilities, an issue we still face in today’s society. At CMHA, we strongly feel that Dr. Clarence Hincks set us on a course of serving the mental health needs of each individual community with education and prevention. One hundred years later, we invite the Alberta Southeast Region to celebrate our intricate history, as well as the long journey that has brought us to who we are today. Mila Joubert is the Mental Health Educator of Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta Southeast Region and can be reached at 403-504-1811. To find out more about CMHA-ASER and their programs check outwww.cmha-aser.ca. If you are in an immediate crisis, please contact 911 or phone the crisis line @ 1-800-784-2433 or 1-877-303-2642. 9-8
