The first state hospital for the mentally ill opens in the United States in Williamsburg, Virginia.
A bill passed by Congress is vetoed by President Franklin Pierce. It would have allocated funds from the federal government’s sale of western lands to provide care for people with mental illness.
Mary Antoinette Cannon is hired by Massachusetts General Hospital to work with patients with mental illness.
The first mental health legislation is passed by the U.S. government: the National Mental Health Act of 1946.
The Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963, a federal legislature backed by President John F. Kennedy, is enacted.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is founded.
Mental health care is implemented into the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act is signed into law.
The mental health crisis line is implemented with a three-digit dialed number.