<Li> Develop new and better interventions that incorporate the diverse needs and circumstances of people with mental illnesses </Li> <Li> Strengthen the public health impact of NIMH - supported research </Li> <P> Mental health has traditionally been a state responsibility, but after World War II there was increased lobbying for a federal (national) initiative . Attempts to create a National Neuropsychiatric Institute failed . Robert H. Felix, then head of the Division of Mental Hygiene, orchestrated a movement to include mental health policy as an integral part of federal biomedical policy . Congressional subcommittees hearings were held and the National Mental Health Act was signed into law in 1946 . This aimed to support the research, prevention and treatment of psychiatric illness, and called for the establishment of a National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC) and a National Institute of Mental Health . On April 15, 1949, the NIMH was formally established, with Felix as director . Funding for the NIMH grew slowly and then, from the mid-1950s, dramatically . The institute took on a highly influential role in shaping policy, research and communicating with the public, legitimizing the importance of new advances in biomedical science, psychiatric and psychological services, and community - based mental health policies . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> Part of a series on </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Psychology </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Outline </Li> <Li> History </Li> <Li> Subfields </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Basic types (show) <Ul> <Li> Abnormal </Li> <Li> Behavioral genetics </Li> <Li> Biological </Li> <Li> Cognitive / Cognitivism </Li> <Li> Comparative </Li> <Li> Cross-cultural </Li> <Li> Cultural </Li> <Li> Differential </Li> <Li> Developmental </Li> <Li> Evolutionary </Li> <Li> Experimental </Li> <Li> Mathematical </Li> <Li> Neuropsychology </Li> <Li> Personality </Li> <Li> Positive </Li> <Li> Quantitative </Li> <Li> Social </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Applied psychology (show) <Ul> <Li> Applied behavior analysis </Li> <Li> Clinical </Li> <Li> Community </Li> <Li> Consumer </Li> <Li> Counseling </Li> <Li> Critical </Li> <Li> Educational </Li> <Li> Environmental </Li> <Li> Ergonomics </Li> <Li> Forensic </Li> <Li> Health </Li> <Li> Humanistic </Li> <Li> Industrial and organizational </Li> <Li> Interpretive </Li> <Li> Legal </Li> <Li> Medical </Li> <Li> Military </Li> <Li> Music </Li> <Li> Occupational health </Li> <Li> Political </Li> <Li> Religion </Li> <Li> School </Li> <Li> Sport </Li> <Li> Traffic </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Lists (show) <Ul> <Li> Disciplines </Li> <Li> Organizations </Li> <Li> Psychologists </Li> <Li> Psychotherapies </Li> <Li> Publications </Li> <Li> Research methods </Li> <Li> Theories </Li> <Li> Timeline </Li> <Li> Topics </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Psychology portal </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> </Table>

When was the national institute of mental health founded