High School Research

A student-led club dedicated to mental health conversations.

From 2015 to 2017, BC2M funded a formal evaluation of BC2M HS to ensure the program’s efficacy and impact. The evaluation was performed at UC Berkeley, under the co-direction of Dr. Stephen Hinshaw (UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco) and Dr. Bennett Leventhal (UC San Francisco).

The UC Berkeley Committee for Protection of Human Subjects fully approved this investigation, and the participants were over 700 diverse high-school students from the San Francisco Bay Area. Overall, the core findings indicate that high school students can and do reveal meaningful reductions in stigma as the result of BC2M High School Program club participation.

The details are published in the Reducing Mental-Illness Stigma via High School Clubs: A Matched-Pair, Cluster-Randomized Trial

Why Does Mental Health Matter to Teens?

3⁄4 of mental health disorders start before the age of 24

73% of students report having a mental health crisis

40% of students experiencing mental health concerns seek care

Student Testimonials

“This organization has allowed me to help empower others to reach out for the help they need, change the way mental illness is viewed, and provide a safe environment for conversation to take place.”

“I am so grateful to have the opportunity to participate in something that I know will change the lives of people across America.”

“Over the last year, I’ve had teammates, university staff, and even complete strangers tell me that the work we’re doing has changed their perception of mental illness.”

Frequently Asked Questions

A long-term, community-based, student empowerment approach to stigma reduction appears to be a promising avenue to create “stigma-free” zones on college campuses, develop the next generation of mental health leaders, and potentially reduce societal levels of stigma in the long run. Multiple exposures over time have greater impact in stigma reduction.

There has been little evaluation in stigma reduction efforts in higher education. Our research helped fill this gap and has proven that awareness surrounding mental health, especially multiple exposures, decreases stigma. We hope our findings spark interest and funding for further research on this important topic and inspires more people to join in on this life-changing work.

UBC2M has left us with well-rounded and thorough research which we hope to pass on to partner organizations so they can share the data and knowledge we collected to spread to universities throughout the country.

While Bring Change to Mind won’t continue to have active chapters on college campuses, we still encourage students to become leaders and advocates for mental health in their communities. We hope that graduates of our high school program take the skills they have gained and community activity ideas to continue to change attitudes around mental health once person at a time.

We are so happy that our partners at the Jed Foundation and Active Minds have a presence at thousands of schools across the country. We encourage alumni of our high school program to see if one of these organizations is present on their campus! If one is not available, alum are free to use activities and presentations that they hosted and participated in while they were BC2M HS members.

BC2M High School also encourages all who are interested to participate in our all club activation week we hold once a year; it is jam-packed week filled with fun and inspiring activities guaranteed to bring mental health awareness to your community.

Having a bad day is normal, and happens to everyone. However, when these bad days turn into bad weeks or bad months, and you notice significant changes in your friend’s behavior or personality, it may be a sign of bigger concern.
Initially, one of the most important things that you could do is to show love and concern for your friend and to let them know that you’re always there to support them. If you believe that your friend requires additional help, or if you feel overwhelmed in any way about the situation, trust your gut and do not hesitate to speak to someone who could help. This may be a counselor, a professor, or a parent / guardian.