Individuals living with mental illness face pervasive public stigma (a phenomenon whereby large social groups endorse stereotypes about and act against those labeled as belonging to a socially disadvantaged group) that can affect their self-esteem, social relationships, and overall quality of life. Mental illnesses typically emerge during adolescence/young adulthood, which is also the time when negative attitudes about mental illnesses are forming. Thus, youth is an important target population for anti-stigma interventions.

In 2010-11, the Healthy Young Minds (HYM) team – second year UBC medical students with a shared interest in addressing stigma and raising awareness surrounding mental health issues in the adolescent population – came together. Focus groups involving youth were held at a Vancouver secondary school to identify gaps in knowledge surrounding mental illness, and findings were used as the basis for the design of an interactive workshop targeted at ninth and tenth graders. The workshop incorporated interactive discussion about mental health and video clips of youths sharing their own experiences with anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia.

In 2012, HYM delivered the interactive workshop to ~250 ninth and tenth grade students in Vancouver and Surrey. The workshop aims to debunk mental illness stigma, educate students on these mental illnesses, and provide a safe environment for discussion. We formally measured the effect of the workshop on students’ attitudes towards mental illness. We administered a 19-item scale (that has been validated to measure public stigma related to mental illness in youth) at 4 time points: one month prior, immediately prior, immediately after, and one month after the workshop.

HYM seeks to improve mental health literacy in adolescents, fight stigma in schools, and empower those struggling with a mental illness to seek help. Our findings will inform the expansion of the workshop to more schools and add to the growing research in youth mental health awareness.