Population promotion of informal self-help strategies for early intervention against depression and anxiety.
Much of the burden of depression and anxiety in the population is attributable to subclinical symptoms. Broadening formal health-care systems to treat subclinical depression and anxiety is not the answer to reducing this burden, because health-care systems lack the resources even to provide optimal care to clinical cases. The solution proposed is the population-wide dissemination of informal self-help strategies that have evidence for effectiveness. These are highly acceptable to the public, easily applied, inexpensive and may avert the development of many clinical cases.
Jorm
Anthony F
AF
ORYGEN Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ajorm@unimelb.edu.au
Griffiths
Kathleen M
KM
D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome