I think school's are becoming more open to talking about mental health and I think it's great. I think that its been a bit of a taboo topic, but with movements like the No Child Left Behind act that aim to integrate kids with special needs into mainstream classrooms, I think mental health is becoming something that people are more willing to talk about, at least in the context of its impact on academic performance.

During middle school, I was required to take a Life Skills class, but it didn't focus much on mental health. However, I was required to take a class called Commitment in Adult Relationships in high school and I actually found what I learned in that class to be very informative. It centered on communication skills, emotion management, etc. We also read the book "Doing School" which emphasized a connection between academic pressure to an increased risk of anxiety/depression.

I know that universities nowadays seem to realize the problem of mental health on college campuses (with such pressure to succeed, depression and anxiety are rampant among college students). At the university level, it is much more about advocacy and education than it is an actual class that people can take.