In the 17th and 18th centuries, individuals with mental illnesses underwent great suffering at the hands of American society. Viewed as demon-possessed or characterized as senseless animals, they were subject to deplorable treatment that often included physical and mental abuse and the use of heavy arm and leg chains. Through the tireless work of people who cared to see a change in this practice, the shackles and chains were eventually dropped. And in the early 1950's, The National Mental Health Association (NMHA, now Mental Health America), issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. In April 1953, NMHA melted down these inhumane bindings and recast them into a sign of hope: the Mental Health Bell.

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