Journal of Primary Prevention

, Volume 5, Issue 4, pp 284–292 | Cite as

Primary prevention: Should we support both practice and research?

  • Ricardo F. Muñoz
Commentary

Abstract

The February 16, 1983 debate on Primary Prevention in which Albee and Goldston met Lamb and Zusman underlined a number of issues that are repeatedly discussed in such forums. In response to an invitation to comment on the debate by the Florida Mental Health Institute, I would like to focus on five of these issues. I should state at the outset that my comments are far from unbiased, as I am clearly an advocate for prevention intervention and prevention intervention research (Munoz & Kelly, 1975; Munoz, 1976; Christensen, Miller & Munoz, 1978; Munoz, Snowden & Kelly, 1979; Munoz, 1980; Munoz, 1982). In my discussion, I will try to: 1) identify some premises which were not sufficiently emphasized; 2) make such premises clear so that, hopefully, any further discussion is based on shared (or at least well-identified) starting points; and 3) add my perspectives in each of these areas. I will use examples dealing with affective disorders throughout my discussion, because they are among the most prevalent of disorders, and because they are present in various levels of severity.

Keywords

Public Health Mental Health Health Psychology Primary Prevention Prevention Intervention 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Human Sciences Press 1985

Authors and Affiliations

  • Ricardo F. Muñoz
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Psychiatry, San Francisco General HospitalUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco

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