In traditional medical usage, the prevention or prophylaxis of a disorder. In community psychiatry, the meaning of prevention encompasses the amelioration, control, and limitation of a mental disorder. Prevention of mental disorders is often categorized as follows:
- Primary prevention Measures implemented to prevent the occurrence of a mental disorder (e.g., by nutrition, substitute parents).
- Secondary prevention Measures implemented to limit an existing disease process (e.g., through early case-finding and treatment).
- Tertiary prevention Measures implemented to reduce impairment or disability following development of a disorder (e.g., through rehabilitation programs).
In social psychology, primary prevention efforts focus on those measures necessary to reduce new cases of a particular disorder; secondary prevention efforts focus on detecting disorders early and treating effectively; and tertiary efforts focus on reducing the long-term consequences of a disorder through effect treatment.