Primary schools: opportune settings for changing attitudes and promoting mental health

Issue addressed: Reducing the prejudice towards mental illness in a primary school setting and creating a supportive environment for families where a parent has a mental illness. Methods: Teacher workshops and classroom sessions for grades 5 and 6 children on mental illness. Results: Significant increase in teachers' confidence to support a child whose parent has a mental illness. Reduced prejudice towards people with schizophrenia among the children. Conclusion: The primary school setting appears to be an effective environment to promote mental health literacy and reduce the likelihood of negative stereotype formation