Background and Objectives: Enhancing teachers' mental health literacy enables them to effectively participate in school mental health activities and promote students' mental health literacy. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the mental health curriculum on the knowledge and improvement of mental health literacy of Secondary school teachers.

Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study assessed the impact of a school-based mental health literacy program, the "Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide," which consisted of six modules: 1) stigma of mental illness, 2) understanding mental health and mental illness, 3) information about specific mental illnesses, 4) experiences of mental illness and the importance of family connections, 5) seeking help and support, and 6) the importance of positive mental health. The program was implemented in junior high schools in Sirjan County in 2024. Participants included 40 teachers randomly selected from 20 schools and divided into intervention and control groups. Mental health literacy, awareness, and attitudes toward mental illness were measured using a questionnaire in both groups before and after the implementation of the mental health curriculum. Teachers in the intervention group participated in a two-day training workshop to familiarize themselves with the curriculum.

Results: The results demonstrated a significant increase in teachers' mental health knowledge and mental health literacy in the intervention group following the program (p < 0.001). Additionally, the intervention group showed significantly higher scores compared to the control group in the following areas after the intervention: the ability to recognize disorders, awareness of causes and risk factors, knowledge of where to seek information, appropriate help-seeking behavior (p < 0.001), self-treatment knowledge (p < 0.023), and awareness of available professional help (p < 0.037).

Conclusion: The results reported in this study clearly demonstrate a highly significant positive impact on the knowledge and mental health literacy of teachers who have been trained using the Persian guide to the mental health curriculum. This program contributes to establishing a strong foundation for schools to effectively, efficiently, and cost-effectively enhance students' mental health literacy across schools in Iran.

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