title: Preventing the incidence of new cases of mental disorders: a meta-analytic review.
abstract: To assess the results of studies examining the effects of preventive interventions on the incidence of mental disorders, we conducted a systematic review. A literature search resulted in 13 high-quality randomized trials, six on depressive disorder (including postpartum depression), one on anxiety, one examining both anxiety and depression, three on posttraumatic stress disorders, one on psychosis, and one on any mental disorder. The overall relative risk (RR) was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.56-0.95), indicating a reduction of the risk to become a new case of a mental disorder. The seven studies on prevention of depressive disorder resulted in a RR of 0.72 (95% CI, 0.54-0.96). The risk of posttraumatic stress disorder was somewhat increased after debriefing, but not significantly (RR=1.33), indicating a possible adverse effect. Prevention of new cases of mental disorders seems to be possible and may be an important way of reducing the enormous burden of these disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pim
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cuijpers
authors.forename: Annemieke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Straten
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Smit
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001008:Anxiety Disorders; D002648:Child; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003419:Crisis Intervention; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011314:Preventive Health Services; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012306:Risk; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs