Formerly Teen Mental Health, the Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide (the Guide) is the only evidence-based mental health curriculum resource that has been demonstrated to improve both teachers’ and students’ mental health literacy through usual teacher education and application in the classroom in a variety of program evaluations and research studies in Canada and elsewhere.

The Guide has been developed to help enhance the mental health literacy of students and targeted to be used in grades nine and ten (ages 13 to 15 years). This is the time of the lifespan in which the diagnoses of mental disorders begins to increase dramatically; it is thus essential that young people be able to have the knowledge, attitudes and competencies to help themselves and others if necessary. Mental health literacy has four components:

1. Understanding how to optimize and maintain good mental health

2. Understanding mental disorders and their treatments

3. Decreasing Stigma

4. Enhancing help-seeking efficacy (knowing when and where to get help and having the skills necessary to promote self-care and how to obtain good care)