The practice of helping others to achieve recovery began in the substance abuse field in the 1920’s when one alcoholic helped another get and stay sober.  This led to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).  Those who faced challenges in other areas of their lives took the example of AA and applied it in new areas such as behavioral health.

In the 1960s, consumers began to express that they had rights, and formed groups that became very important as psychiatric hospitals began closing across the country and residents were set adrift in an increasingly impersonal and sometimes hostile society.

In the early 1970s, consumers began to offer services through drop-in centers.  The effectiveness of these settings began to shape thinking about what role these services should play in the behavioral health system. 

In the 1980s and 1990s, the federal government began funding programs around the country that developed a continuum of care which included a sustainable system of services and offered a range of service options, from institutions to community based programs, including consumer operated services.

In the 1990s, consumers began organizing to influence their own services and the broader system of care.  This movement operated under the motto, “Nothing about us without us.” This created opportunities for people from the behavioral health community, as well as those from other disability groups, to gain access to national forums and policy groups where decisions were being made about services and  society in the future.   Landmark victories were achieved in the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), guaranteeing civil rights to people with disabilities and the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision of 1999 that guaranteed people with disabilities the right to live and receive services in the community rather than being confined in institutions. 

Stay tuned for the continuation of this topic…where I’ll share with you how these are defined today.