Mental Health Education

Background: Psychiatrists may face challenging core medical ethics questions since the media encourages their assistance and participation at various levels. This paper examines attitudes of psychiatrists regarding their involvement with the media and their view of their professional association in such incidents.

Mental Health in Higher Education, a project of the Higher Education Academy, aims to enhance learning and teaching about mental health in UK higher education. This article introduces the Mental Health in Higher Education website which has recently been relaunched. It outlines its key role in the development of our emerging community of practice.

Abstract
Purpose – Stigma towards people with mental health problems is a significant problem and appears
trenchant despite recent anti-stigma campaigns. Attitudes develop in young children, and may be stronger
and less malleable in adolescence. Early intervention may be important for mental health education and
stigma prevention. Theory, evidence and practical considerations all suggest that teachers’ involvement is
key. By exploring communication about mental health between teachers and young children, it will be
possible to elaborate how stigma develops and may be ameliorated. The purpose of this paper is to explore
teachers’ accounts of this communication and the factors that influence it.
Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews with 15 primary school teachers were
transcribed and analysed using a grounded theory approach.
Findings – Discussions about mental health were largely absent from the classroom, due to teachers’ anxiety.
Teachers felt the need to protect children from exposure to people with mental health problems and even from
information about the topic, believed they lacked the necessary expertise, worried that such discussions were
outside their remit and were anxious about parents’ reactions.
Originality/value – This was the first study to interview teachers on this topic and suggests that a significant
opportunity to address fear and stigma is being missed. Teachers’ silence may reinforce that mental health
problems are taboo, and prevent children from developing knowledge and a language to talk about mental
health. The inclusion of teachers in early mental health education and could promote better understanding
and more inclusive attitudes, especially if supported by educational policy and curriculum.

Social Group Work is one of the important methods of social work through which education can be transmitted to a larger group by following the process or the stages of group work. Mental Health Education requires tools through which effectively and efficiently information can be transmitted to a larger group. The combination of both helps in analyzing the affectivity both quantitatively and qualitatively.

A call for ‘Burning Issues in Learning and Teaching about Mental Health’ was issued in the autumn of 2010 – through the Mental Health in Higher Education project and Higher Education Academy (subject centres) Special Interest Group for Mental Health. Some Burning Issues relate to the content of teaching and some to the process; some make reference to a specific discipline, whilst others have a broader focus; all pose challenging questions for educators. This document, which draws the contributions together, is aimed at academics, service user and carer educators, practice mentors, students and all others with an interest in learning and teaching about mental health. It is hoped that it will be read by individuals, but also used to spark debate within teaching teams.