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The problem with mental health awareness (in schools)
Over the past 15 years, there have been extensive efforts to raise awareness about mental health in schools, universities, workplaces and society at large. The goal was to reduce stigma, improve help-seeking and ultimately reduce mental health problems. However, during this period, mental health problems have only increased. In this talk, I present qualitative and quantitative evidence that mental health awareness efforts might paradoxically make some people feel worse, particularly adolescents. I will use the example of mental health lessons in schools (‘universal interventions’) to illustrate how ideas that are good on paper can fail to deliver in practice, and reflect on why – despite evidence of null and negative effects – it is difficult to stop these interventions being delivered in schools. I end by thinking about how we might move forward from here: how we can build on what we have learnt so far to talk about mental health in a more helpful, hopeful way.
Date:
20 October 2025, 16:00
Venue:
Lecture room 2, Life and Mind Building, South Parks Road
Speaker:
Dr Lucy Foulkes (Dept of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford)
Organising department:
Department of Experimental Psychology
Organisers:
Professor Asifa Majid (University of Oxford),
Professor Matthew Rushworth (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address:
hod.office@psy.ox.ac.uk
Host:
Professor Asifa Majid (University of Oxford)
Part of:
Perspectives in Psychology - Departmental Seminar Series
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Anne-Marie Honeyman-Tafa
