In 1900 Beers was confined to a private mental institution for depression and paranoia. He was later confined to another private hospital as well as a state institution. During those periods he experienced and witnessed serious maltreatment of patients by the staff of the hospitals. His autobiographical account of his hospitalization and the abuses he suffered was widely and favorably reviewed. It became a bestseller, and is still in print. Through this book Beers became the founder of the American mental hygiene movement. He gained the support of the medical profession and others  to reform the treatment of the mentally ill. In 1908 Beers founded the "Connecticut Society for Mental Hygiene", now Mental Health Connecticut. The following year he founded the "National Committee for Mental Hygiene", now called "Mental Health America", to continue reform of the treatment of the mentally ill. Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.