Mental Health America of Lancaster County (MHALC) is part of a nation-wide voluntary organization dedicated to promoting mental health, preventing mental illness and contributing to the quality of life of persons suffering from mental and emotional problems.

The official registration and financial information of the MHALC may be obtained from Dept. of State by calling toll free within PA, 1.800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

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WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA?

• Mental Health America (MHA) is the new name of a century-old nonprofit dedicated to helping ALL people live mentally healthier lives.
• MHA is the leading nonprofit on mental health and represents the local Mental Health America movement.
• With more than 320 affiliates nationwide, Mental Health America represents a growing movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well-being of the nation – everyday and in times of crisis.
• We are a network of individuals, families, providers and professionals, researchers, businesspeople, school personnel, public officials, law enforcement, military personnel and survivors of disaster. We are people of all faiths, colors and political parties. We understand that mental health is a social justice issue and that it is integral to public health.
• We are Mental Heath America!

WHY SHOULD AMERICANS CARE ABOUT OUR CAUSE?

• We all have mental health. It is an ever-present piece of who we are.
• "Mental health" has to do with how well people cope with daily life and the challenges it brings. It is a fluid state, with most of us falling somewhere in the middle of a scale with untreated illness and disability at one end, and recovery and complete wellness at the other.
• We all face threats to our mental health. When considering all the ways it can affect each of us and our society, mental health amounts to the largest public health and economic concern in the country. For example:
  • Stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.
  • Chronic stress can lead to depression - a serious mental health problem that can wreak havoc on all areas of a person's life.
  • One out of four cases of obesity is associated with a mood disorder - such as depression - or an anxiety disorder.
  • Mental illness and substance use problems cost the nation $205 billion annually.  Less than half that amount ($92 billion) is for direct treatment.  The remaining $113 billion is due to lost productivity, crime and welfare costs.
  • Depression alone costs the economy $83 billion in absenteeism and lost productivity at work and direct treatment costs.

WHAT DOES MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA DO?

• Our message is simple: good mental health is fundamental to the health and well-being of every person and the nation as a whole.
• Mental Health America educates and empowers the public to care for their mental health. All people must have the means to protect their mental health in their daily lives and maintain wellness, and know how to seek help when they or someone they love needs it.
• Mental Health America helps the nation’s schools, businesses and health care systems gain access to the knowledge and resources to respond to the mental health of their communities and achieve their missions.
• Mental Health America strives to ensure people have affordable and personalized state-of-the-art preventive, early identification treatments and services.
• Mental Health America advocates for increased research to ensure people better treatments, services and cures for mental health and substance use problems.
• Mental Health America provides support to the more than 60 million people in the U.S. have mental health and substance use problems that may require treatment and services.

WHY ARE YOU CHANGING YOUR NAME?

• Mental Health America was founded nearly a century ago, in 1909, by Clifford Beers, a young business man who lived with a mental illness. He created a national citizens’ group to promote mental health and improve conditions for people living with these health problems.
• Today, whether we have a mental illness or not, mental health is more relevant in all our lives – especially with our fast-paced, 24/7 culture, violence in our communities and the ongoing threat of terrorism.
• The name, Mental Health America, will help us communicate how fundamental mental health is to the overall health and well-being of each American. It signals the rebirth of a movement that will make mental health more relevant to all segments of society.

HOW CAN PEOPLE BECOME INVOLVED IN MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA?

• People can get involved by spreading the word about mental health, volunteering with their local Mental Health America affiliate, participating in Mental Health America’s action campaigns or by making a donation to Mental Health America or a local affiliate.
• To become involved, go to www.mentalhealthamerica.netor call Mental Health America at 1.800.969.6642.

D.P. Rice and L.S. Miller, Health Economics and Cost Implications of Anxiety and Other Mental Disorders in the United States, British Journal of Psychiatry, 172 (suppl.34):4-9, 1998.

The Economic Burden of Depression in the United States: How Did It Change Between 1990 and 2000? Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 64:12, December 2003. www.psychiatrist.com/issues/greenberg/pdf