Celebrating 50 years of service!

The Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas (MHASCK) has been serving the Sedgwick County Community since 1957.

We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, a United Way agency and an affiliate of Sedgwick County COMCARE. We believe these partnerships enable us to provide comprehensive services to our area. MHASCK is just one of the 340 affiliate chapters associated with Mental Health America.

Mental Health America - National (formerly National Mental Health Association) was founded in 1909 by former psychiatric patient Clifford W. Beers. During his stays in public and private institutions, Beers witnessed and was subjected to horrible abuse. From these experiences, Beers set into motion a movement of mental health reform.

The symbol of the Mental Health Association is the Bell. Nearly 50 years ago, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for chains and shackles that restrained patients. National then took these tools of mistreatment and forged them in to a powerful beacon of freedom: the 300-pound mental health bell.

Mission

The Mission of the Mental Health Association is to empower and assist individuals in experiencing optimal mental health and wellness through education, advocacy, and service.

The Vision of the Mental Health Association is achievement of a just, humane, and healthy society where all people are treated with respect, dignity, and the opportunity to achieve their full potential free from stigma and prejudice.

The Values of the Mental Health Association maintain that every person, regardless of their disability and other characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, economic status or sexual orientation, has the right and responsibilities to full potential in our society.

Mental health has to do with how you feel about yourself, how you feel about others, and how you are able to meet and handle the demands of life. It is not the absence of problems. Rather, it describes the ability to balance problems with appropriate coping skills. There is no line which separates the mentally healthy from the unhealthy. But we do know that the right amount of sleep and exercise, a proper diet and appropriate medical care can go a long way toward improving both our physical and mental health.

Most people believe that mental disorders are rare and "happen to someone else." But, mental disorders are common and widespread. An estimated 54 million Americans have been diagnosed with some form of mental disorder in a given year.

A mental illness is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought and/or behavior, resulting in an inability to cope with life's ordinary demands and routines. There are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness. Some of the more common forms of mental illness are depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, dementia and schizophrenia. Symptoms may include changes in mood, personality, personal habits and or/ social withdrawal.

Mental health problems may be related to excessive stress due to a particular situation or series of events. As with cancer, diabetes and heart disease, mental illnesses are often physical as well as emotional and psychological. Mental illnesses may be caused by a reaction to environmental stresses, genetic factors, biochemical imbalances, or a combination of factors. With proper care and treatment many individuals learn to cope or recover from a mental illness or emotional disorder.