Is This Mental Health Prevention or Treatment?

"As the number of people who struggle with clinical levels of mental health problems continues to rise, many experts and policy makers are calling not only for more availability of mental health treatment but also preventative efforts that might reduce the burden of these conditions in the first place. The recommendation certainly makes a lot of sense on many levels, from motivations to reduce human suffering to saving money."

"In other areas of medicine, the distinction is much clearer: You wear sunscreen to prevent the onset of skin cancer. You wear a seatbelt to prevent injuries in case of a car crash. Here, not only is the timing important but the intervention is vastly different than the treatment of those things you are trying to prevent; sunscreen doesn't do much to treat melanoma."

Preventing mental health problems is a critical priority alongside expanding treatment access. The distinction between prevention and treatment in mental health is often ambiguous, with timing of intervention (earlier in life and before symptom onset) sometimes framed as the key difference. Preventive efforts can closely resemble treatment and are frequently delivered to people already experiencing distress. In many cases, studies labeled as prevention include substantial treatment components. Clearer separation of prevention and treatment approaches and examination of their potential differences could improve research, policy, and resource allocation.

Read at Psychology Today