Written by Grace Dallarda, a NAMI CC 2025 Summer Intern
How can we improve mental health literacy and sharpen academic institutions’ focus on addressing behavioral health disparities? My post outlines opportunities that education officials can use to foster an environment of curiosity and knowledge surrounding the topic of mental health.
Table of Contents
School is a place to learn and grow–but why should that be limited to just intellectual feats? Though schools need to foster an encouraging environment that stimulates intellectual growth, mental health is often neglected, despite being equally important. Students spend the majority of their formative years in the academic sphere, which gives schools the unique role of shaping the intellectual capacity and attitude of their students. Because of this context, promoting mental health education and literacy within schools should be included in a central curriculum. Every year, roughly one in six youth aged 6–17 face a mental health disorder, and half of all conditions begin by age 14 (National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d.). These are stunningly high incidences of mental health distress amongst our youth that should serve as a call to action for all academic institutions to implement mental health education as a part of a core curriculum.
Why Focus on Schools?
It is easy to shift focus away from schools when determining the best avenue to deliver early mental health interventions. However, the partnership between academic and mental health support ultimately fosters an environment of deeper emotional intellect and an enrichment of coping skills.
Schools are critical to the development of our society in many different facets, but it is first important to recognize that school-aged children spend a significant amount of their time in schools. Because of the amount of time spent in school, school-aged children need<> to have a healthy and supportive atmosphere.
Teaching children about mental health and encouraging them to have an intrinsic look at life is vital to ensuring their future personal and academic success. Early mental health conversations and interventions lead to incredible outcomes, as research suggests that academic success is enhanced when mental health is well-maintained (Wiedermann et al., Fortifying the Foundations). The academic sphere is already dedicated to the well-being of its students and fostering an environment of inclusion and creativity, so there is no better way to create an environment of mutual understanding than broadening the scope of education to include a mental health curriculum.
Schools don’t only serve as an avenue for learning about mental health, but oftentimes, they also act as mental healthcare providers. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), youth are almost as likely to receive mental health services in an education setting as they are to receive treatment from a specialty mental health provider – in 2019, 15% of adolescents aged 12-17 reported receiving mental health services at school, compared to 17% who saw a specialty provider.Addressing mental health education would not only benefit students on a personal level but also help shine a light on the existing, overlooked academic health resources schools already offer.
Creation of Mental Health Programs
The first, but perhaps the most complex, step of improving mental health within the academic sphere is policy modification. A specific policy modification would allow mental health education to be incorporated into the core curriculum. The primary goals of improving mental health awareness in the academic sphere are increasing mental health literacy through reducing stigma around previously uncomfortable conversations, cultivating healthy coping mechanisms, and improving recognition of worsening psychological symptoms to reduce acute incidences.
It must be kept in mind that different age groups and members of different geographic settings may have varying mental health obstacles from those of other circumstances. For example, university students have very different mental health obstacles than those in kindergarten, with university students experiencing mental health conditions like substance use disorder, anxiety, eating disorders, etc., while grade-school-aged children often struggle with attention deficit disorder and anxiety (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health”). Additionally, geography must be taken into consideration when creating these programs, as some areas are more prone to certain disparities than others, and we want to provide and promote culturally appropriate care.
Leveraging Pre-Existing Resources
Although creating mental health programs is incredibly important, program creation may exhaust financial resources and take a considerable amount of time to implement. An alternative or addition to promoting mental health literacy is by utilizing previous resources through cultivating partnerships with pre-existing local behavioral health programs and community-based organizations.
There are numerous programs, such as NAMI Ending the Silence, Project AWARE, and Project Cal-Well, that all have a similar collective goal: raising awareness about mental health issues by encouraging open dialogue about preventative and sustainable services.
Specifically, NAMI Ending the Silence (ETS) presentation is a free, evidence-based, 50-minute session designed for middle and high school students to inform them about important resources and create positive attitudes toward mental health conditions. A study of 932 students highlights the comprehensive impact of the program. Compared to those who did not participate, ETS participants demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking preparedness immediately following the presentation- gains that were successfully maintained 4-6 weeks later (National Alliance on Mental Illness, Fighting Stigma in Schools). NAMI Ending the Silence can be requested from your local NAMI affiliate, including NAMI Contra Costa.
In addition to leveraging community resources, the inclusion of mental health first aid certification within an educational professional preparation training program will support educators in recognizing early warning signs presented by both their peers and students. Even with financial constraints in mind, there are free training programs available to help limit additional expenses. Training opportunities offered by programs supported by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing are essential and lead to improved mental health literacy, increased confidence and likelihood to act, and reduced stigma and increased empathy (Mental Health First Aid USA, 2025). The utilization of community resources to promote environments of increased mental health literacy is essential to the overall health within both the academic and personal spheres of one’s livelihood.
Conclusion/Takeaways
To truly enhance mental health within the academic sphere, prioritizing mental health literacy is essential. Integrating evidence-based mental health practices into school environments fosters healthy coping strategies and normalizes open dialogue about emotional and behavioral challenges. Providing educators with Mental Health First Aid certification equips them to recognize, respond to, and support students in need. When school districts and universities embed Mental Health First Aid training into their curricula, they promote a holistic learning culture- one that values not only academic achievement, but also the overall well-being and long-term personal success of students. Join us in championing the urgent need for expanding mental health education in schools, paving the way for a healthier, more resilient future for generations to come.
Community Resources
Mental Health First Aid Classes
NAMI: Ending The Silence Presentation
Project AWARE
Project Cal-Well
Sources
https://www.nami.org/advocacy/policy-priorities/improving-health/mental-health-in-schools/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10217808/
https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/data-research/index.html#:~:text=Childhood%20mental%20health%20conditions%20affect,1
https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware
https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Mental-Health-Education/NAMI-Ending-the-Silence/
https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2025/02/the-research-backed-value-of-mental-health-first-aid-training/
https://www.nami.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ETSresearchhandouts.pdf