Mind (charity)

Mind (charity)
Mind

Mind logo
Formation 1946
Headquarters Stratford, London
Region served England and Wales
President Stephen Fry[1]
Website www.mind.org.uk

Mind is a mental health charity in England and Wales. Founded in 1946 as the National Association for Mental Health, it celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006.

Mind offers information and advice to people with mental health problems and lobbies government and local authorities on their behalf. It also works to raise public awareness and understanding of issues relating to mental health.[2] Since 1982, it has awarded an annual prize for "Book of the Year" having to do with mental health, in addition to three other prizes.

Over 180 local Mind associations (independent, affiliated charities) provide services such as supported housing, floating support schemes, care homes, drop-in centres and self-help support groups.[3] Local Mind associations are often very different in size, make up and character—it is a common misconception that they all work to the same policy and procedural framework. Mind is a national brand but all local associations are unique, although they do all sign up to certain shared aims and ethical guidelines.

Contents

History

Mind was originally known as the National Association for Mental Health (NAMH), founded in 1946[4] from three voluntary organisations that provided services for the "maladjusted, emotionally disturbed or mentally handicapped to any degree."[5] The name MIND was introduced in 1972, and the lowercase version "Mind" was introduced in the 1990s.

The National Association for Mental Health was formed by the merging of the following three major mental health organisations:

  • the Central Association for Mental Welfare
  • the National Council for Mental Hygiene and
  • the Child Guidance Council
  • Help William Herbert Mission [@wilhelmebert]

Starting in 1969, numerous Scientologists joined the NAMH and attempted to ratify as official policy a number of points concerning the treatment of psychiatric patients. When their identity was realised, they were expelled from the organisation en masse. The Church of Scientology later unsuccessfully sued the NAMH over the matter in the High Court in 1971, and the case became notable in British charity law.[6]

Mind has celebrated World Mental Health Day annually since it was first observed in 1992. This occurs on 10 October.

Paul Farmer became chief executive of Mind in 2006, moving from his position as director of public affairs at the charity Rethink.[7]

In 2008 Mind announced it would be merging with the charity Mental Health Media.[8] Stephen Fry succeeded Melvyn Bragg in 2011 as President of Mind.[1]

Campaigns

In addition to its other activities, Mind campaigns for the rights of people who have experience of mental distress. Mind's current campaigns include:[9]

  • Taking care of business — tackling workplace stress, this campaign, launched May 2010, aims to make workplaces more mentally healthy.[10]
  • Another assault — exposing the high levels of victimisation and harassment experienced by people with mental health problems, and their reluctance to report abuse to the police.
  • In the red: debt, poverty and mental health — exploring the impact debt has on mental health.
  • Our lives, our choices — Mind is part of the national campaign for independent living. The campaign calls for an overhaul of the health and social care system.

In addition, Mind is part of the Time to Change coalition, along with Rethink. Time to Change is an England-wide campaign to end mental health discrimination.

Mind campaigns for the inclusion and involvement of (ex)users of mental health services. In its own organisation, at least two service users must be on the executive committee of each local Mind group. The charity operates Mind Link, a national network of service users, which is represented on Mind's Council of Management, its ultimate decision making body.[11]

The Mind Book of the Year Award

For 30 years Mind has celebrated published fiction or non-fiction writing by or about people with emotional or mental distress with the annual Mind Book of the Year Award. The Award will take a sabbatical in 2012, while its future is reviewed. The 29 books receiving the award (there was no award in 1990) represent three decades of creativity and expression .

  • 1982 'The Art of Starvation', Sheila Macleod

  • 1983 'Annie's Coming Out', Rosemary Crossley and Anne McDonald

  • 1984 'Depression: the Way Out of Your Prison', Dorothy Rowe
  • 1985 'Art as Healing', Edward Adamson
  • 1986 'A Woman in Custody', Audrey Peckham

  • 1987 'Talking to a Stranger: a Guide to Therapy', Lindsay Knight

  • 1988 'The Minotaur Hunt', Miriam Hastings

  • 1989 'Out of Mind', J. Bernlef
  • 1990 No winner
  • 1991 'The Trick is to Keep Breathing', Janice Galloway
  • 1992 'The Catch of Hands', Benedicta Leigh

  • 1993 '50 Years in the System', Jimmy Laing

  • 1994 Scar tissue, Michael Ignatieff

  • 1995 'Mustn't Grumble', Ed. Lois Keith

  • 1996 'Phone At Nine Just To Say You're Alive', Linda Hart

  • 1997 'Push: the Life of Precious Jones', Sapphire

  • 1998 'Skating to Antarctica', Jenny Diski

  • 1999 'Remind Me Who I Am, Again', Linda Grant

  • 2000 'Making Us Crazy', Herb Kutchins and Stuart A. Kirk

  • 2001 'Growing Up Severely Autistic: They Call Me Gabriel', Kate Rankin
  • 2002 'The Noonday Demon: an Anatomy of Depression', Andrew Solomon

  • 2003 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Reflections on Death and Dignity', Studs Terkel

  • 2004 'Giving Up The Ghost', Hilary Mantel

  • 2005 'The Cruel Mother', Siân Busby

  • 2006 'Borrowed Body', Valerie Mason-John

  • 2007 'Living with Mother'. Michèle Hanson

  • 2008 'The father I Had', Martin Townsend

  • 2009 'The Boy with the Topknot: a Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton', Sathnam Sanghera

  • 2010 'Sectioned: a Life Interrupted', John O'Donoghue
  • 2011 'Diary Drawings: Mental Illness and Me', Bobby Baker.

Funding

National Mind takes donations, sponsorship, grants and operates charity shops across England and Wales.[12] Each local Mind association is an independent charity responsible for its own funding, although they are provided some project funds from national Mind.[3] The total gross income of the local associations in 2009 was £87 million which, combined with the national Mind income of £25 million, gave a total of £112 million.[13] At least some local associations report that the majority of their income is from the British government through local governmental and NHS grants (e.g. 74%[14]).

Mind states that, while it accepts corporate support in general, it does not accept any money from pharmaceutical companies. This policy is binding on all local Minds who are not permitted to accept sponsorship or donations from pharmaceutical companies for their own events, or for fees or expenses for attending conferences.[15]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Stephen Fry announced as president of Mind". Mind. http://www.mind.org.uk/news/5260_stephen_fry_announced_as_new_president_of_mind. Retrieved 2011-07-29. 
  2. ^ "About Mind", Mind.org.uk, http://www.mind.org.uk/about, retrieved 6 July 2010 
  3. ^ a b "The Local Mind Network", Mind.org.uk, http://www.mind.org.uk/about/the_network, retrieved 6 July 2010 
  4. ^ Jones (2003), p. 201
  5. ^ Malin, Race & Jones (1980), pp. 151–152
  6. ^ Rolph (1973)
  7. ^ "Mind Announces New Chief Executive", Mind.org.uk, 21 February 2006, http://www.mind.org.uk/news/1869_mind_announces_new_chief_executive, retrieved 6 July 2010 
  8. ^ "Mental Health Media Joining Forces With Mind", Open-up.org, 3 November 2008, http://www.open-up.org.uk/node/58, retrieved 6 July 2010 
  9. ^ "Current Campaigns", Mind.org.uk, http://www.mind.org.uk/campaigns_and_issues/current_campaigns, retrieved 6 July 2010 
  10. ^ "Taking Care Of Business: Mental Health At Work", Mind.org.uk, http://www.mind.org.uk/employment, retrieved 6 July 2010 
  11. ^ "Mind's Policy on User Involvement", Mind.org.uk, http://www.mind.org.uk/help/people_groups_and_communities/user/survivor_empowerment/minds_policy_on_user_involvement, retrieved 6 July 2010 
  12. ^ "Donate", Mind.org.uk, http://www.mind.org.uk/donate, retrieved 6 July 2010 
  13. ^ "View Accounts - Mind (The National Association For Mental Health)", Charity Commission for England and Wales (The Crown), http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/ShowCharity/RegisterOfCharities/DocumentList.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=219830&SubsidiaryNumber=0&DocType=AccountList, retrieved 6 July 2010 
  14. ^ "Annual Report 2008–2009", Mind in Croydon, http://www.mindincroydon.org.uk/DocumentStore/AnnualReport0809.pdf, retrieved 6 July 2010 
  15. ^ "Mind's guidelines for working with corporate partners", Mind.org.uk, http://www.mind.org.uk/get_involved/donate/your_company/guidelines_for_corporate_partners, retrieved 6 July 2010 

Sources

  • Jones, Kathleen (2003), Lunacy, Law and Conscience, 1744-1845: The Social History of the Care of the Insane, Routledge, ISBN 0415178029 
  • Malin, Nigel; Race, D. G.; Jones, Glenys (1980). Services For The Mentally Handicapped In Britain. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0856648701. 
  • Rolph, Cecil Hewitt (1973). Believe What You Like: What happened between the Scientologists and the National Association for Mental Health. Deustch. ISBN 0233963758. OCLC 815558. 

External links


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