Our early years - the story of NSF
This booklet tells the story of Rethink Mental Illness' predecessor, The National Schizophrenia Fellowship (NSF), which changed into Rethink in 2002. It explains what the situation was like for those experiencing mental illness and their carers in the 50s and 60s. It includes the story of why NSF was set up, how it was set up, John Pringle's legacy and the growth of the charity up until 1985.
It explains what the situation was like for those experiencing mental illness and their carers in the fifties and sixties. It includes the story of why NSF was set up, how it was set up, the first relatives groups, John Pringle's legacy and the growth of the charity up until 1985.
The Early Years booklet
This is the story of the beginning of the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, now named Rethink Mental Illness. It tells of how a group of remarkable people, faced by the tragedy of severe mental illness in their own families, came together determined to do something about it.
John Pringle’s now famous article published in the Times in 1970 set out the case, and the story is told here, as it unfolded between 1972 and 1985, by some of those who responded to that letter. It tells how they challenged a system that put intolerable strain on thousands of families and individuals affected by severe mental illness.
In 1999, Professor John Wing suggested that the early history of NSF should be written before it was lost, and since NSF was approaching its 30th anniversary it was a good time to do so. This is a story of courage and passion, of fellowship and achievement, but above all it is a tale of how a group of people built something together that has gone from strength to strength. Behind this story lie many individual stories, only a few of which canbe included here.
The tale is told for all the hundreds of thousands of individuals and families for whom NSF was conceived. The dedication and tenacity of that early group, and of all those who have supported NSF, contributed to the changes in mental health policy and attitude that we are beginning to see today. There is a recognition that people with mental illnesses have a right to be included, a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and a right to be understood as unique individuals who happen to have a mental illness.
