[What significance does the topic 'prevention' have in social-psychiatric research? A systematic literature analysis].
OBJECTIVE
Scientists and politicians currently pin great hopes on preventive activities in order to increase the health of particular target populations and to reduce illness related costs. This also holds true for mental disorders, which often show a chronic course of disease. The aim of the present study is to analyse the importance of prevention in social-psychiatric research.


METHODS
Including 60 journals, listed in the Science Citation Index or the Social Science Citation Index for the psychosocial field, a systematic literature analysis was done for the year 2004.


RESULTS
Only 14 percent of social-psychiatric original research paid attention to prevention. 39 percent of the prevention related publications refer to primary prevention, further 39 percent to secondary prevention, 22 percent focused on tertiary prevention. Research activities concentrated on prevention of substance related disorders as well as early detection or rehabilitation of schizophrenia.


CONCLUSIONS
Social psychiatry has only partly responded to the growing importance of prevention in health care. Because many social-psychiatric questions are important for prevention research, social psychiatry should use their competences to facilitate prevention-studies. This holds particularly true for depressive disorders and dementia, which are conditions with high prevalence and substantial illness related costs.
Roick
C
C
Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie der Universität Leipzig. roich@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Angermeyer
M C
MC
Riedel-Heller
S
S
D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D003158:Community Psychiatry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011315:Preventive Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012942:Social Sciences / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*