Mental Health America Southwest Alabama

“Cast from shackles which bound them, this bell shall ring out hope for the mentally ill and victory over mental illness.” — Inscription on MHA Bell.

During the early days of mental health treatment, asylums often restrained persons with mental illness using iron chains and shackles around their ankles and wrists. With improved treatment and understanding, this cruel practice eventually stopped.

In the early 1950s, the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) requested the discarded shackles and metal restraints from mental asylums all across the country. On April 13, 1953 at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, MD, these symbols of past oppression were melted down and recast into a sign of new hope, the Mental Health Bell.

Acting as the symbol of MHA, this 300-pound Bell serves as a powerful reminder that the invisible chains of misunderstanding and discrimination continue to bind people with mental disorders. Today, the Mental Health Bell rings out hope for improved mental health treatment and victory over mental illness.

Over the years, national mental health leaders and other prominent individuals have rung the Bell to mark the continued progress in our fight for victory over mental illness.

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