Menu
Open Search

Effective April 28, 2025, Governor McMaster signed a state law that established the South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. This cabinet agency merged the previously existing Department of Mental Health, Department of Disabilities and Special Needs and the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, creating a holistic, streamlined and coordinated approach.

  • 1694 – Lord Proprietors of the Carolinas decrees that the indigent mentally ill should be cared for at public expense locally.
  • 1762 – Fellowship Society of Charleston establishes an infirmary specifically for the mentally ill, one of the first institutional efforts in the colony.
  • 1821 – South Carolina State Legislature approves funds to build the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum, one of the earliest state-funded mental health institutions in the nation.
  • 1828 – Mills Building in Columbia, S.C., the main facility of the soon-to-be-State Hospital, becomes operational,
  • 1852 – The state approves construction of a second asylum.
  • 1923 – The first outpatient mental health center in South Carolina is established in Columbia, broadening care beyond inpatient hospitalization.
  • 1952 – South Carolina enacts the Mental Health Act of 1952, which creates the Mental Health Commission and began structured state-level planning for both inpatient and emerging community-based services
  • 1957 – General Assembly creates the S.C. Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center via Act 309 to address alcohol issues.
  • 1961 – The state passes its own Community Mental Health Services Act, establishing a framework for local mental health clinics with state grant support.
  • 1963 – The South Carolina Department of Mental Retardation (DMR) is established to plan and coordinate services for individuals with intellectual disabilities and related conditions.
  • 1964 – General Assembly creates the Department of Mental Health (DMH) by statute, consolidating authority for hospitals, community centers, clinics, and related services under a cabinet-level agency.
  • 1965 – William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute is established as a teaching hospital, enhancing clinical training and research capacity.
  • 1966 – The S.C. Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center becomes the S.C. Commission on Alcoholism.
  • 1967 – The Columbia Area Community Mental Health Center is recognized as the first comprehensive community mental health center in the South.
  • 1969 – South Carolina authorizes a War Veterans Home dedicated to mental health care for veterans.
  • 1970s – DMH expands services statewide with multiple community centers, inpatient facilities, and innovative transitional living and specialized programs.
  • 1970 – Governor John C. West signs the Mentally Retarded Persons Act, defining the mission and structure of the DMR to deliver a broad range of services statewide.
  • 1971 – The Office of the Commissioner of Narcotics and Controlled Substances is established.
  • 1971 –  South Carolina assumes responsibility for mental health patient care costs from the counties, further centralizing mental health services.
  • 1973 –  General Assembly establishes South Carolina’s single and multi-county alcohol and drug abuse provider system, requiring counties to create authorities for local substance abuse services.
  • 1974 – Commission on Alcoholism absorbs the Narcotics office, becoming the S.C. Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (SCCADA).
  • 1974 – Act 1127 of 1974 establishes guidelines for County Mental Retardation Boards, creating a network of local board across all 46 counties to administer services in community settings.
  • 1987 – A statewide involuntary alcohol and drug commitment statute takes effect, influencing how individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions are treated.
  • 1993 – The "Government Accountability and Reform Act" restructures state agencies, forming the cabinet-level Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS) and making it the single state authority for substance use programs.
  • 1993 – The South Carolina Legislature combines the DMR with autism and head/spinal cord injury programs to form the new Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN) as part of the statewide restructuring.
  • 1995 – The first Medicaid Home and Community-based (HCB) Waiver participants receive services through DDSN’s HASCI Division.
  • 1998 – DDSN implements person-centered services, increasing self-determination and choice for individuals receiving services.
  • 1998 – SC enacts the Sexually Violent Predator Act, establishing a civil commitment process and expanding DMH’s role in secure treatment for persons adjudicated under this statute.
  • 2002 – DDSN works with the State Budget and Control Board to recruit nationally qualified disability service providers, expanding service options beyond traditional county boards.
  • 2006 – The General Assembly creates the Pervasive Developmental Disorder Program to provide Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention for children on the autism spectrum
  • 2011 – Governor Nikki R. Haley signs Act 47, which removed the term “retardation” from the agency’s title and statutory language, reflecting evolving, respectful terminology.
  • 2017 – Governor Henry D. McMaster declares a statewide public health emergency related to opioids and established the South Carolina Opioid Emergency Response Team with DAODAS leadership.
  • 2019 – DDSN tracks compliance of residential and non-residential settings toward statewide quality standards, marking progress toward service quality milestones.
  • 2022-2023 –  In response to ongoing addiction challenges, DAODAS partners with Clemson University, University of South Carolina, Medical University of South Carolina, and public health agencies to help create the South Carolina Center of Excellence in Addiction, focusing on data, treatment capacity, and innovation in substance use services.
  • 2025 –  Effective, April 28, 2025, South Carolina reorganizes its health and human services structure to form the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Under this restructuring, DDSN becomes the Office of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, DMH becomes the Office of Mental Health and DOADAS becomes the Office of Substance Use Services.