NJAMHAA-70th-anniversary-publication

6 1953 - Psychotropic medications were introduced. - Narcotics Anonymous was founded. 1955 - Deinstitutionalization of individuals with mental illness began. The discovery of antipsychotic medications made it possible to dramatically reduce state hospital populations, which totaled 560,000. - Congress created the Commission on Mental Illness and Mental Health. 1954 - The rst antipsychotic, Thorazine, was sold in the U.S. -The rst edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual was published. 1957 - The American Medical Association recognized alcoholism as a disease. - New Jersey legislators enacted a law to fund community mental health services. - The Veterans’ Administration began to create alcoholism treatment units. F o r 7 0 Ye a r s N ow . . . Founding 1951 - NJAMHAA was founded as the New Jersey Association of Mental Hygiene Clinics. It had ve members. S ince its founding in 1951 as the New Jersey Association of Mental Hygiene Clinics, the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies (NJAMHAA) has fought strongly and persistently on behalf of providers and the individuals they serve. The trade association has grown sub- stantially in size and impact over the years, including advoca- cy that contributed greatly to the creation of laws and policies, as well as development of new and enhanced services, and increased access to them. Even before Debra L. Wentz, PhD, took the helm of NJAMHAA and exponentially increased its visibility and sophistication in advocacy, many members had experienced, contributed to and applauded the association’s solid reputation as a strong NJAMHAA Celebrates 70 Years of Transforming Lives and Health Systems