Mental health education and the commercialisation of expertise

One of the strategies to address the persistent youth mental health crisis is school-based educational programming. This paper reports on two distinct studies regarding Coming Up for AIR, a school-based mental health education program: (1) program effectiveness, measured as gains in student mental health literacy; and (2) trends in help-seeking behavior before, during, and after the pandemic. A survey on program content was administered to assess program effectiveness. Data collected between 2020 and 2023 from four schools yielded 473 responses. A comparison of pre- and post-scores demonstrated statistically significant gains in program content. Mental health literacy improved across gender and grade level (8th, 9th, and 10th), as well as for students with prior exposure to a mental health curriculum. In the second study, help-seeking behavior was evaluated before, during, and after the pandemic. While other programs measure intention, Coming Up for AIR measures actual behavior as students can ask for help for themselves or a friend. Data did not reflect individual student responses, but rather were aggregated and provided the number of students per presentation who requested help. Archived declaration card data from January 2019 through February 2024 was accessed, representing 28 different schools and 16,289 middle and high school student responses. School-level data were analyzed by grade level (middle school or high school) and date (pre-, intra-, or post-COVID-19). Significant differences in self-referral were found for both grade level and presentation date. Self-referrals were significantly higher post-COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19 with middle schoolers increasing 90% and high school students increasing 36%. Analysis of friend referrals showed a significant difference for grade level, but not presentation date. Again, middle school students were more likely to make a referral than high schoolers. The data suggest that the mental health crisis in middle school students persists at an alarming rate. Schools are at the forefront of addressing mental health issues for youth. External educational programming can bring awareness to mental health concerns and promote help-seeking in youth.

Benefits and barriers: Improving boys’ mental health education in high schools

In recent times, global concerns about children’s mental health have captured the attention of politicians, scholars, the media, and public health organisations. As with other public health imperatives, schools are positioned as ‘obvious’ sites for solutions, including the use of outsourced teaching and learning programmes, curricula, and resources. In this paper I employ Foucault’s notion of governmentality to critically examine how rationalities of neoliberalism and healthism re-imagine mental health education as a form of mental healthism education in modern educational contexts. By using three mental health education programmes promoted to schools in the United Kingdom as an example, I critically examine how multiple rationalities are brought together in an endeavour to shape young people as responsible consumers of mental health, and simultaneously depoliticise the dual problems of children’s mental health and mental health education in schools. A ‘critical mental health education’ approach, however, holds possibilities for challenging dominant rationalities of mental healthism and the ‘neoliberal imaginary’ of commercialised mental health education programmes.

Mental Health Training in Pediatric Residency: Where Can We Go?

Introduction: Mental health education aims to increase mental health literacy plays a crucial role in community members mental health, but its implementation in primary health care faces obstacles and problems. Therefore, this study was conducted to explain the challenges of the public mental health education program with an emphasis on self-care in Iran primary health care.
 Methods: The present study was a qualitative study with a content analysis approach. Research sample consisted of 20 stakeholders through purposive sampling with maximum diversity. This study was conducted in Tehran and Alborz, Iran. Data were collected through in-depth and semi-structured interviews and analyzed by Graneheim and Lundman approach.
 Results: By analyzing the data, the challenges were categorized into six main themes and 15 categories. The six main themes included educational challenges, Inefficiency of the Educational Method, Unsuitable intersect oral collaboration, infrastructural challenges, inadequate resources and barriers to participation in education.
 Conclusions: Considering the key role of mental health education in promoting mental health literacy and prioritizing prevention in the field of mental health in primary health care, especially achieving universal health coverage; Given multidimensionality challenges and obstacles, reform and adoption of appropriate implementation methods using mental health experts seem necessary. Future research and policies could explore ways to optimize program implementation in primary health care.

Art-based practices have been expected and incorporated into adolescent mental health education, enhanced by their potential to promote positive psychosocial development and foster resilience. Elite athletes, while encountering similar challenges as adolescents—such as reluctance to seek psychological support—occupy a distinctive position due to their capacity to exert substantial influence on youth. This paper presents the development and conceptualization of a novel, elite athlete-led mental health education framework that employs artistic expression as a core modality. We showed and explained the 'Yowai-wa-Tsuyoi Project' ('Weakness is Strength'), an initiative undertaken in Japan that seeks to harness the personal narratives of elite athletes to effect positive change in adolescents' mental health literacy. By collaborating with the Japan Rugby Players Association and mental health experts, the project integrates art-based interventions to stimulate dialogue on mental health, stress, and overall well-being. By sharing their lived experiences, athletes facilitate art-driven activities wherein students are encouraged to express and reflect upon their mental health experiences. This interdisciplinary initiative aspires to enhance adolescents’ understanding of mental health through relatable athlete role models, foster emotional articulation via artistic media, and nurture empathy and collective support for mental well-being. The integration of sports, education, and art in this approach illustrates a potentially transformative model for engaging adolescents in critical discourse surrounding mental health and well-being. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of creating educational environments that embrace vulnerability, expression, and dialogue, thus providing students with the tools and space to address their mental health in a supportive context.

Police and ambulance staff are increasingly asked to help people experiencing mental health crises, but they often feel under-prepared. The single frontline service approach is time-intensive and risks a coercive pathway to care. The emergency department is the default location for transfers by police or ambulance involving a person involved in a mental health crisis, despite being viewed as suboptimal. Police and ambulance staff struggled keeping up with the mental health demand, reporting inadequate mental health training, little enjoyment and negative experiences when trying to access help from other services. Most mental health staff had adequate mental health training and enjoyed their work, but many experienced difficulties getting help from other services. Police and ambulance staff found it hard to work with mental health services. The combination of limited training, poor interagency referral processes, and difficulties accessing support from mental health services means that when police and ambulance services attend mental health crises alone, distress may be heightened and prolonged. Enhanced mental health training for first responders and more streamlined referral processes may improve process and outcomes. Mental health nurses have key skills that could be utilized in assisting police and ambulance staff who attend 911 emergency mental health calls. New models such as co-response teams, whereby police, mental health clinicians and ambulance staff respond conjointly should be trialled and evaluated. INTRODUCTION: First responders are increasingly called to assist people experiencing mental health crises but little research exists canvassing multi-agency perspectives of such work. To understand the views of police officers, ambulance and mental health staff attending mental health or suicide-related crises in Aotearoa New Zealand and to discover how they experience current models of cross-agency collaboration. A descriptive cross-sectional survey involving mixed methods. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and free text by content analysis. Participants included 57 police officers, 29 paramedics and 33 mental health professionals. Mental health staff felt adequately trained, but only 36% described good processes for accessing inter-agency support. Police and ambulance staff felt undertrained and unprepared. Accessing mental health expertise was considered difficult by 89% of police and 62% of ambulance staff. Frontline services struggle managing mental health-related 911 emergencies. Current models are not working well. Miscommunication, dissatisfaction and distrust exist between police, ambulance and mental health services. The single-agency frontline response may be detrimental to service users in crisis and under-utilizes the skills of mental health staff. New ways of inter-agency cooperation are required, such as co-located police, ambulance and mental health nurses responding in partnership.

This paper analyzes the Status quo, specific educational mode and characteristics of students' mental health education in the foreign universities, and to learn advanced mental health education from foreign, to inspire the mental health education for college students in china

Purpose To critically examine the existing literature on mental health education in secondary schools amid an escalating youth mental health crisis, exploring which curriculum components and pedagogical approaches are most effective for adolescents’ learning. Design/methodology/approach We used a critical literature review methodology grounded in a constructivist paradigm. Systematic searches across three databases using the PICo framework yielded 176 publications for analysis. Data extraction captured explicit and implicit insights about curriculum and pedagogy from diverse publication types. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted using Bernstein’s educational theory, Freire’s critical pedagogy and Kutcher et al.’s mental health literacy model as analytical lenses. Findings We identified eight evidence-based propositions indicating that effective curriculum requires comprehensive integration of all mental health literacy components, recognition of mental health’s subjective nature within sociocultural contexts, inclusion of biopsychosocial and continuum models and development of communication competencies and practical problem-solving skills. From a pedagogical perspective, the findings indicate the limitations of didactic methods while supporting multimedia integration, active learning methodologies and student-led approaches that foster critical engagement and agency. Originality/value Despite recognition that school-based mental health education is a crucial factor in improving adolescent mental health, current approaches have been characterised as heterogenous and inconsistent, with ambiguity regarding which curriculum components and pedagogical approaches contribute to the effectiveness of interventions – a critical gap that this review addresses by offering guidance for researchers, educators and policymakers to consider in designing and delivering mental health education that enhances adolescents’ mental health literacy and empowers them to improve their well-being.

This chapter will look at the current situation concerning youth mental health in Australia and provide information about youth mental health literacy, which was first coined by Jorm in 1997. A literature review of current Australian mental health promotion and education programs being offered in schools will be conducted as well as examples of some of the better-known ones that have been implemented internationally. The evolution of mental health education in Australian schools will be examined so as to provide a perspective of how some of the current programs came into being or existence. The main aim of this chapter will be to highlight the high prevalence of mental illness that exists amongst young people in Australia and how implementing mental health education in schools can be beneficial and helpful in improving their mental health and wellbeing. Mental health education in schools can help in breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness. Another benefit is that young people will be able to identify mental health problems earlier amongst their peers and in themselves, which can lead to early help seeking, especially due to young people gaining a higher level of mental health literacy through mental health education programs.

This chapter will look at the current situation concerning youth mental health in Australia and provide information about youth mental health literacy, which was first coined by Jorm in 1997. A literature review of current Australian mental health promotion and education programs being offered in schools will be conducted as well as examples of some of the better-known ones that have been implemented internationally. The evolution of mental health education in Australian schools will be examined so as to provide a perspective of how some of the current programs came into being or existence. The main aim of this chapter will be to highlight the high prevalence of mental illness that exists amongst young people in Australia and how implementing mental health education in schools can be beneficial and helpful in improving their mental health and wellbeing. Mental health education in schools can help in breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness. Another benefit is that young people will be able to identify mental health problems earlier amongst their peers and in themselves, which can lead to early help seeking, especially due to young people gaining a higher level of mental health literacy through mental health education programs.

Schools offer a suitable room in which support towards Mental Health Education can be accommodated. Mental health education is gaining global prominence as an essential component of comprehensive education systems. This paper delves into the context of mental health education within Uganda’s secondary school system, emphasizing the urgent need for effective interventions. Adolescents in Uganda face an increasing prevalence of mental health challenges, making early intervention and stigmatization is crucial. Drawing insights from practices elsewhere and tailoring them to the Ugandan context, several key areas warrant attention when implementing mental health education in secondary schools: For example: Curriculum Integration: This calls for embedding mental health topics into existing curricula which in the long run ensures widespread coverage and normalizes discussions, Teacher Training: Equipping educators with the knowledge and skills to address mental health issues which fosters a supportive environment, Student Engagement: Involving students actively in mental health awareness campaigns and peer support programs enhancing their understanding and empathy, Collaboration with Professionals: Partnering with mental health experts which facilitates accurate information dissemination and referrals, Engaging Parents: Parents play a pivotal role; involving them in workshops and dialogues promotes holistic well-being, These strategies collectively contribute to creating an informed and empathetic school environment. Benefits include reduced stigma, improved mental health literacy, and timely identification of struggling students. Implementing mental health education faces challenges such as cultural sensitivities, limited resources, and resistance to change. To address these, proactive measures like culturally tailored content, resource optimization, and community involvement are essential. Looking ahead, advancing mental health education in Ugandan secondary schools involves sustained efforts, policy advocacy, and collaboration with organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO). By prioritizing mental well-being, Ugandan schools can empower its youths and build a healthier society.

This paper uses the theory of mental health education to conduct an in-depth study and analysis of teachers' educational management, and based on this, it designs a survey method on teachers' status and analyzes its strategic methods based on the results of the survey. Using literature analysis, questionnaires, survey interviews, and statistical analysis, the analysis of mental health of primary and secondary school teachers in the city was made. The results of the survey and analysis of the questionnaire results were used to construct a compatible mental health evaluation model. It was found that the overall level of elementary school teachers' mental health is poor at present, and different levels of mental health were presented with school sections and ages. A total of 286 questionnaires were distributed, 278 valid questionnaires were returned, and statistical analysis was conducted using EXCEL tables based on the collected data. The data analysis results show that the mental health level of teachers in middle school is significantly lower than that of teachers in primary school, and the mental health level of teachers in primary and secondary schools decreases with the increase of age. Therefore, to prevent the small and the gradual, start from the source; do a good job in the publicity of mental health education in peacetime; popularize the knowledge of mental health, so that teachers have a correct understanding of mental health education; improve the professional level of teachers; set up professional teachers in professional positions; establish sound job system and evaluation system, etc. Promote the balanced development of school psychological counseling rooms, strengthen the construction of professional teachers in mental health education, improve various systems of mental health education, comprehensively popularize teachers' mental health education and training, and mobilize teachers' enthusiasm for scientific research on mental health education. Improve the understanding of mental health education in colleges and universities, and regard mental health education as the foundation of all education.

It is proposed to use SAFER-R model to integrate mental health education and student management, and to use data mining technology to analyze students’ mental health status on the mechanism of collaborative parenting in students’ mental health education. Carry out personalized management for students’ mental health status and construct a school-based mental health education management mechanism. Optimize the management mode of the school mental health leadership team and build a collaborative parenting structure based on the SAFER-R model. Design research experiments, use Apriori algorithm to assess students’ mental health status, analyze students’ psychological characteristics, conduct multiple regression analysis on factors affecting students’ mental health, and evaluate the effectiveness of mental health education and student management under the collaborative parenting model from the perspective of graduates. Science and engineering have higher values and total mental health level for arts and sports students, =3.205, =0.045. Arts and sciences have higher values, behavioral performance, and total mental health level compared to arts and sports students, =0.367. Under the collaborative education model, six indicators, namely, professional practice ability, social activity ability, organization and management ability, interpersonal communication ability, psychological quality ability, and behavioral performance ability, improve better during the school years. indicators are all higher than 50% of graduates with better improvement during school, of which the value of the indicator of professional practice ability is 76.1%. This indicates that the current management model is more effective in promoting the overall development of students and can realize the two-way development of mental health education and student management.

Adolescents are exposed to a variety of stressors during the challenging adolescent transition phase. Nowadays, adolescents are more susceptible to mental health issues, which are reportedly becoming more prevalent globally. Involve schools in initiatives to address adolescent mental health to raise teenage understanding and awareness. Adolescents' mental health status can be assessed by mental health screening and education, and mental health education can help them know more about their mental health. This activity aims to expand students' awareness of mental health issues at public junior high schools in Padang. The IDASS-Y adolescent health self-reporting instrument was used to implement the intervention. The dissemination of information about adolescents' mental health issues and strategies for preventing them served as the basis for educational initiatives. According to the activity's findings, 25 students in Junior High School had mild depression (92.6%), one who had moderate depression (3.7%), and one who had severe depression (3.7%). The prevalence of anxiety among SMPN 23 students was 25 mildly anxious individuals (92.6%) and two moderately anxious individuals (7.4%). Twenty participants (74.1%) reported light stress, six (22.2%) reported moderate stress, and one (3.7%) reported severe stress. The knowledge score has improved before and during mental health education—the importance of involving schools in mental health management, including education and screening.