Giving Compass' Take:

• A study by RAND Corporation shows that student-run mental health organizations focusing on awareness are reducing stigma and improving the knowledge of college students. The report suggests that these peer-run organizations may play a crucial part in creating a supportive campus environment and can help behaviors.

• How can colleges and nonprofits involved in higher education support these organizations? What are some ways we can all encourage a more open dialogue about mental health?

• Young people are becoming very active in mental health efforts. Here is a list of eight inspiring, young mental health activists you should know about.

Getting college students to engage with peer-run organizations that focus on mental health awareness can improve college students' knowledge about mental health, reduce stigma, and may play an important role in improving the campus climate toward mental health, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

The study, which involved 1,129 students from 12 California college campuses, is the largest longitudinal study examining the impact of a student mental health peer organization on students' mental health stigma, knowledge and helping behaviors.

Researchers found that students' familiarity with Active Minds, one such student mental health peer organization, was linked to a decrease in stigma about mental health issues over time, while involvement with the program was associated with an increase in helping behaviors. The study was published online by the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

“Student-run organizations aimed at teaching peers about mental health issues may be instrumental in shaping a more-supportive climate toward mental health issues on college campuses over the course of a single academic year,” said Dr. Bradley D. Stein, the study's corresponding author and a senior physician scientist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.

Read the full article about student-run mental health efforts by Bradley D. Stein and Lisa Sontag-Padilla at The RAND Corporation.