Despite Promising Results, Evidence-Based Teen Mental Health Curriculum at Risk of Losing Funding Without Immediate Action

International mental health curriculum demonstrates positive impact on high school students, but funding expiration threatens future of program

In alignment with Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and in light of recently released record-breaking suicide rate numbers, including that suicide is the second-leading cause of death in teens age 15-19, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Social Work, Behavioral Health Springboard is seeking continued support for two evidence-based curricula which have shown significant benefits, Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) and teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA). Combined, the curricula create a network of support within schools, training adults to be trusted resources and empowering teens to recognize signs of mental health challenges. In partnership with researchers in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the National Council conducted an evaluation of tMHFA in the United States.

Six months after taking tMHFA:

• 57% of teens reported encountering a peer experiencing a mental health challenge.
• 88% of those teens reported using their tMHFA skills to help their peers.
• 67% reported they used tMHFA skills to help someone who was experiencing stress.

While MHFA has demonstrated significant benefits across over 40 North Carolina school districts, its future is uncertain due to funding limitations. The Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund, which currently supports the initiative, is set to expire June 2025.

In a time where studies show that children’s risk of suicide increases on school days, without immediate action, teens could lose access to a curriculum that reduces the stigma surrounding mental health conversations.

"Using the tools from this training, students are recognizing that hope is possible,” explained Ruby Brown-Herring, a consultant for tMHFA, “Just because [they are] suffering as a 16-year-old, doesn’t mean [they’re] going to struggle forever."

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Social Work, Behavioral Health Springboard manages and facilitates the Mental Health First Aid program at no-cost to participants and is able to do so through a grant received in Spring 2023. The grant and supplemental funding allows UNC-CH, SSW, BHS to administer the program through June 2025, at which time current funding expires.

About Behavioral Health Springboard (BHS): BHS is an initiative at UNC-Chapel Hill, School of Social Work that links current research to training programs across North Carolina. These programs address substance use prevention and treatment, problem gambling, and other issues in behavioral mental health.

Sources and links for editor:

Link to informative tMHFA Video featuring NC teens: https://vimeo.com/1010326189?share=copy

Suicide as a leading cause for youth: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8976221/

Behavioral Health Springboard: https://bhs.unc.edu/

More about Mental Health First Aid: https://www.ncymhfa.org/

Children’s risk of suicide increases on school days: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/childrens-risk-of-suicide-increases-on-school-days/#:~:text=Looking%20at%20the%20monthly%20data,typically%20peak%20in%20summer%20months.

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