NAMI Ending the Silence
MODALITY: presentation
Plan your first presentation by Getting Started at NAMI.
Summary
NAMI Ending the Silence is an engaging, educational presentation given by presenters with mental health lived experiences, that helps audience members learn about the warning signs of mental health conditions and what steps to take if a student or loved one begins showing symptoms of a mental health condition.
Implementation
Program Material Cost
Free
Modality
Classroom Presentation
Setting
Classrooms, health classes, school-wide assemblies, teacher professional development days, in-person or online
Grade Level(s)
Middle
High
Rubric and Standards
Mental Health Literacy Components
Decreasing stigma
Understanding how to foster and maintain positive mental health
Understanding how to seek help effectively
Understanding mental health disorders and their treatments
High School Learning Standards
Advocate for reducing stigma associated with emotional and mental and behavioral health
Compare & contrast emotional, mental-behavioral illness, mental well-being and concurrent disorders
Describe how self-harm or suicide impacts other people
Describe laws related to minors accessing mental health care
Explain how to help someone who is thinking about attempting suicide
Identify school and community resources that can help a person with emotional, mental and behavioral health concerns
Evidence
Publication Types
2 Peer-Reviewed Publications
Study Types
1 Randomized Control Trial, 1 Quasi-Experimental Design
Study Samples
Country: US Sample Sizes: 206 and 932 Students Grade Levels: 9th to 12th Grade
Major Findings
NAMI Ending the Silence has been shown to be effective in improving high school students’ knowledge and attitudes toward mental health conditions and help-seeking.
Published Studies
Published
Study Type
Sample
Findings
Students completed a 12-item questionnaire about knowledge of mental health conditions, attitudes/social distance preferences, and help-seeking before, immediately after, and four to six weeks after the presentation. Significant positive change in overall scores and individual item scores occurred for students receiving the NAMI ETS presentation but not for students who did not receive the presentation. Improved scores were still apparent for the NAMI ETS students at follow-up but, again, not for students who did not receive the presentation. Results indicate that NAMI Ending the Silence is an effective mechanism for improving the knowledge and attitudes of high school students about mental health conditions.
Published
Study Type
Sample
Findings
The results suggest that NAMI’s Ending the Silence is well-liked by youth and has positive effects on multiple stigma dimensions for high school youth. Prospectively, mixed effects modeling indicated significant effects in favor of the ETS group for reduced negative stereotypes, improved mental health knowledge, and less anticipated risk for disclosing to a counselor. There were also trends in favor of the ETS group for reductions in intended social distancing and negative affect, and improvements in help-seeking intentions. Qualitative feedback indicated positive impressions of ETS overall, but suggestions for more interactive activities and discussion.