Does a school-based mental health curriculum for grade 9-10 youth improve knowledge, reduce stigma and enhance help seeking behaviors?

In Canada, approximately ten to twenty per cent of children and adolescents suffer from some form of mental disorder. However, only one in five adolescents requiring specialty care receives it. Many youth do not receive needed care because of their insufficient knowledge for early identification, stigma about mental disorders, and lack of help resources. There is a need to effectively address these issues. My PhD research will focus on understanding effective mental health literacy programs that will address youth mental health for Canadian secondary schools. The fundamental assumption of mental health literacy programs is that increasing knowledge and awareness can lead to positive health improvements such as decreased emotional and behavioral problems, improved clinical and functional outcomes, and improved school performance among youth. The study will evaluate a mental health literacy program, Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide. The program addresses brain functions, specific mental disorders, stigma about mental illness, help seeking resources and the importance of positive mental health. It will be evaluated among grade nine to ten students in Nova Scotia high schools with a cluster randomized controlled trial study design. The study will include the integrated knowledge translation component through the engagement of related stakeholders in each phase of the study. Should the program be effective, it will potentially enable both youth and educators to achieve better understanding about mental health, to reduce stigma about mental illness, and to appropriately recognize and respond to signs of mental disorders and therefore link with health care providers for treatment, and ultimately promote mental health in youth.