4th ed, DSM-TV).6 Curative interventions are given to persons who suffer from acute disorders, and maintenance treatments are given to patients with chronic disorders. In this spectrum of interventions, three types of prevention can be distinguished: Universal prevention is aimed at the general population or parts of the general population, regardless of whether they have a higher-than-average risk of developing a disorder. The best-known examples of universal prevention include school programs aimed at all students, whether they have an increased risk of developing a mental disorder or not, and mass-media campaigns, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical aimed at the general

population. Selective prevention is aimed at high-risk groups, who have not yet developed a mental disorder. High-risk groups include people who have recently experienced a stressful life event or who experience a chronic stressor, such as divorce, losing a family member through death, caring for an Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical ill family member, and unemployment. Indicated prevention is aimed at individuals who have some symptoms of a mental disorder but do not meet diagnostic criteria. Indicated

Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical prevention is aimed at people who already suffer from some (depressive) symptoms. Is prevention of mental disorders effective? In the past few decades, several hundred controlled studies have examined the effects of mental mean health programs aimed at preventing mental health problems at school,7,8 substance use and abuse at school,9 work-related stress,10 distress among caregivers for the elderly,11,12 child abuse,13-15 and many other conditions. This considerable body of research has shown Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical that some prevention programs in mental health are capable of strengthening protective factors, such as social skills, problem-solving skills, stress-management skills, selleckbio prosocial behavior, and social support; that these programs can reduce the consequences of risk factors, psychiatric symptoms, and substance use; and that Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical they

may have positive economic effects. However, only a small proportion of these studies have focused on possibilities for actually preventing the onset of new cases of mental disorders.6 In recent years, a growing number of studies have examined whether prevention programs are actually capable of reducing the incidence of cases of mental disorders as defined bydiagnostic criteria. In these studies a standardized diagnostic Anacetrapib interview at baseline is used to exclude the pretest presence of a full-blown depressive disorder and to examine the incidence of depressive disorders at followup (again with a diagnostic interview). In the following, we will review these studies. Prevention of depressive disorders Most research has focused on the prevention of depressive disorders. Following the first studies conducted in the 1990s,16-18 the number of studies has increased rapidly since 2000.