January 27, 2020
University of Michigan Depression Center Unveils New Video to Celebrate 10 Years of Progress with Flagship Peer-to-Peer Program
By Stephanie Abraham
The University of Michigan Depression Center just unveiled a new video that highlights 10 years of excellence for the Center’s flagship Peer-to-Peer (P2P) program. The P2P program, originally formed in 2009 in partnership with the Ann Arbor Public Schools, is a student-to-student initiative that emphasizes early detection and prevention of mood disorders and anxiety through school-wide intervention.
P2P, which won a national award in 2019, seeks to raise awareness of mental health conditions, fight stigma, and encourage help-seeking behavior to ultimately reduce the impact of mental health conditions on adolescents. The P2P approach uses a "peer advocate" method, to train middle and high school students in understanding depression and anxiety, along with effective methods for reaching and listening to their peers. Students create awareness campaigns designed to address the unique needs of their school, to reduce stigma and increase help-seeking.
Since its inception, the P2P program has reached enough students to fill the University of Michigan stadium to capacity. (that’s more than 107,600 students)
“We know that students are more likely to talk to other students, even above well-meaning adults, and so this is the concept that really drove the beginning of the P2P depression awareness program,” said Stephanie Salazar, Depression Center education and outreach manager. “It’s been so great to see that over 10 years ago we started with 27 students in five high schools and now we are in almost every school in our county. We have expanded to different counties and states and we know that it is working.”
In the video, we hear from several current and former P2P team members who shared their favorite memories from the program and how it impacted them. School staff who oversee P2P in their schools also discussed the lasting impact the program has made on their school culture around mental health.
Research: A March 2018 paper in the journal Psychiatric Services described results of pre- and post-P2P implementation. Data from 878 students showed that after student-led depression awareness campaigns in their schools, students were more likely to say they:
feel confident identifying the signs of depression in themselves or others
would ask for help if they had depression symptoms for more than two weeks
understand that depression runs in families and cannot be controlled through "willpower"
feel confident in their ability to help friends access mental health services
would feel less embarrassment about being seen going to school social worker's or psychologist's office
would seek help from other sources (teacher, clergy, helpline or coach) if they were having a personal or emotional problem
are comfortable discussing mental health with other students at school
They were also less likely to say that a hypothetical new student with depression at the school would make them feel uncomfortable, or that they would stay away from such a student.
“The impact that we have seen on students participating in P2P has been incredible,” said Sagar Parikh, M.D., Depression Center associate director and P2P principal investigator. “Program participants tell us how they were able to help their fellow students feel more comfortable talking about mental health concerns. We feel that the stigma around mental health is lessening and that the culture in schools is shifting.”
“Everything about the Peer-to-Peer program is exemplary,” said Mark Collins, founder of The Chris Collins Foundation and leader of P2P outreach in Rhode Island. “The information taught, the support of the Depression Center staff, the access to resources and prior year's campaigns all exceed expectations. But most important are the results. The peer-mentor-students are excited and passionate about learning, building their campaigns and sharing it with their peers. This is such an important issue and the P2P program is making a very positive impact. We've funded the program in two schools and look forward to adding more schools and continuing a great relationship with the Depression Center.”
Resources: P2P leaders hope that the program continues to expand across the U.S. It is already being implemented in Rhode Island and it has been emulated in North Carolina. In addition to its manual which is currently available for anyone to download, the P2P program recently launched an online resource website available to anyone here. The resource website provides the tools schools may need to develop their own campaign, including a collection of past school campaigns.
Those interested in the P2P program are encouraged to visit the site to learn more and to contact Stephanie Salazar (sawaters@umich.edu) with any questions. Depression Center staff are available to help guide users through the manual and by consultation for more advanced needs.