The following are the powerful words created by strokes of Dorothea Dix’s pen in a passionate letter to the Massachusetts Legislature in 1843 .“I come to present the strong claims of suffering humanity. I come to place before the Legislature of Massachusetts the condition of the miserable, the desolate, the outcast. I come as the advocate of helpless, forgotten, insane men and women; of beings sunk to a condition from which the unconcerned world would start with real horror.”

In the 1830s the dangerous and unhealthy living conditions that Dix witnessed the mentally ill subjected to, inspired her to advocate for the construction of care facilities. Over 40 years, there were 32 psychiatric hospitals distributed throughout the United States.

At first, institutionalization was extremely popular especially in families who struggled to give the proper care to their relatives. Unfortunately, over time, these hospitals were harshly criticized for the poor living conditions and violations of human rights.

The increasing number of harsh reports inspired a movement in the 1950s to deinstitutionalize the mentally ill and instead progress treatment into community groups. By the 1960s, most severely mentally ill people had been moved from psychiatric hospitals into mental health homes or other similar facilities. This approach was mostly supported, but there have been claims of health care deficits since, such as a lack of proper vaccinations. Comparatively to previous methods of care this is an improvement, however there is still much room to grow.

As of recently in the 2000s, families and healthcare professionals are pushing for a combination of high-quality community programs and increased availability to care for intermediate to severely mentally ill people who require specific environmental conditions. The hope is that this will improve the quality of life for the mentally ill in the United States, and increase their access to mental health care.

Dealing with mental health issues such as depression is a very relevant issue that seems to be surrounded with a lot of stigma in modern day times. The root of this stigma is linked to the days of Dorothea Dix and the misunderstanding that surrounds people suffering from these illnesses.

Focusing mainly on students, NAMI states that, “More than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition.” The fact that mental illnesses are impacting young students in such a drastic way, is in itself a call to action. It illuminates the need for improved mental health care, specifically for young adults. There are already many online resources provided by the government such as suicide prevention lines and recommended therapists but what America needs is increased, easy, and cheap access to quality mental health care.