Prevention of common mental disorders: What can we learn from those who have gone before and where do we go next?

Abstract

Objective Prevention strategies have made a major contribution to the considerable successes in reductions in cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality seen in recent decades. However, in the field of psychiatry, similar population-level initiatives in the prevention of common mental disorders, depression and anxiety, are noticeably lacking. This paper aims to provide a brief overview of the existing literature on the topic of the prevention of common mental disorders and a commentary regarding the way forward for prevention research and implementation. Methods This commentary considers what we currently know, what we might learn from the successes and failures of those working in preventi..