Impact
Proportions of Depression Literacy Among Students Who Received ADAP Intervention and Control
Students demonstrate significant improvement in depression knowledge following the program
In a randomized controlled trial, the ADAP curriculum significantly improved students’ knowledge about depression. This improvement was sustained at a four month follow-up.
“We have been utilizing the ADAP curriculum for many years and each spring can state that our entire school has undergone the training. We continue to utilize this program because of the importance of the topic, the clarity and comprehensiveness of the curriculum, and the positive feedback from students and staff. We highly recommend ADAP.”
“I was not aware of the program until just recently. I am most grateful for the opportunity to be able to partake in this training even though I am not a teacher. I have been an advisor for 9 years & wish I had this training long before now.”
“The ADAP curriculum has been really great for us to use, as it presents the information in a really honest and applicable, non-threatening way. I like it and I am a better teacher because of it, so THANK YOU!”
“The program sounded excellent to me in terms – very doable and appealing with it’s very scripted curriculum (meaning anyone who is trained can teach it – not just mental health professionals)”
Instructors follow suit in improving depression knowledge following the program
In a study of teachers before and after the training, the educators had a significant improvement in their knowledge as measured by the Adolescent Depression Knowledge Questionnaire (ADKQ) following training. Teacher depression literacy was significantly associated with student depression literacy—the best educated teachers were most effective in teaching the students.
“I thoroughly enjoyed teaching the program. The students were extremely into the make-up of the program because of its variations of activities and repetition of the most important topics about depression. One student brought to my attention that previous mental health information was not as informative and to the point as this program was. I attribute that to how well the ADAP presented the information, basically got right to the point, and constantly reviewed the key points in a different light. I would say very much a success here.”
“I thought it was a wonderfully informative day! Health and PE teachers are not known for being elite academics- We’re usually very down to earth folks and Dr. Swartz made us feel very comfortable.”
“We are very impressed by the curriculum. Simple, clear, comprehensive, compassionate. Wonderful. It has both validated the work we are doing here and inspired us deeply. I can’t thank you enough. There are so few quality resources out there for those of us in the schools”
“It works. I have used the program and students have self-identified.”
National expansion
We’ve helped over 3,200 instructors teach more than 128,000 students across 21 states and Washington, D.C. There are currently more than 250 schools across the nation using ADAP to help spread depression awareness and we are growing every year.
Other selected publications
- Thirteen Reasons Why Revisited: A Monograph for Teens, Parents, and Mental Health Professionals
- Effectiveness of the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program (ADAP) on Depression Literacy and Mental Health Treatment
- Achieving Depression Literacy: The Adolescent Depression Knowledge Questionnaire (ADKQ)
- The Effectiveness of a School-Based Adolescent Depression Education Program