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Youth Topics (/youth-topics) / Mental Health (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health)
Promotion & Prevention
The terms mental health promotion and prevention have often been confused. Promotion
is de ned as intervening to optimize positive mental health by addressing determinants of
positive mental health before a speci c mental health problem has been identi ed, with the
ultimate goal of improving the positive mental health of the population. Mental health
prevention is de ned as intervening to minimize mental health problems by addressing
determinants of mental health problems before a speci c mental health problem has been
identi ed in the individual, group, or population of focus with the ultimate goal of reducing
the number of future mental health problems in the population.1 Mental health promotion
and prevention are at the core of a public health approach to children and youth mental
health which addresses the mental health of all children, focusing on the balance of
optimizing positive mental health as well as preventing and treating mental health
problems.
Promotion
Mental health promotion attempts to encourage and increase protective factors and
healthy behaviors that can help prevent the onset of a diagnosable mental disorder and
reduce risk factors that can lead to the development of a mental disorder.2 It also involves
creating living conditions and environments that support mental health and allow people to
adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles or a “a climate that respects and protects basic civil,
political, socio-economic and cultural rights is fundamental to mental health promotion.
Without the security and freedom provided by these rights, it is very di cult to maintain a
high level of mental health.”3
Speci cally, mental health can be promoted through
early childhood interventions (e.g., home visits for pregnant women, pre-school
psychosocial activities);
providing support for children (e.g., skills building programs, child and youth
development programs);
programs targeted at vulnerable groups, including minorities, indigenous people,
migrants, and people a ected by con icts and disasters (e.g., psychosocial interventions
after disasters);
incorporating mental health promotional activities in schools (/youth-topics/youth-
mental-health/school-based) (e.g., programs supporting ecological changes in schools
and child-friendly schools);
violence prevention programs (/youth-topics/preventing-youth-violence); and, among
others,
community development programs.4
Positive youth development is de ned by the Interagency Working Group on Youth
Programs as an intentional, pro-social approach that
engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and
families in a manner that is productive and constructive;
recognizes, utilizes, and enhances youths' strengths; and
promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing opportunities, fostering
positive relationships, and furnishing the support needed to build on their leadership
strengths.
It provides a lens for promoting the mental health of youth by focusing on protective factors
in a young person's environment, and on how these factors could in uence one's ability to
overcome adversity. Learn more about positive youth development (/youth-topics/positive-
youth-development).
Prevention
Prevention e orts can vary based on the, audience they are addressing, level of intensity
they are providing, and the development phase they target. Figure 1 depicts the di erent
types of prevention as de ned by the Institute of Medicine. As prevention e orts move from
universal prevention interventions to treatment they increase in intensity and become more
individualized.
Figure 1: Levels of Intervention5
(/img/levelsOfIntervention.jpg)
Note: Click the image to Enlarge.
Interventions may vary not only based on level of intensity, as seen in Figure 1, but also on
the development phase of the youth. Figure 2 provides examples of preventive
interventions for each of the developmental stages through young adulthood.
Figure 2: Preventive Interventions by Developmental Phase6
(/img/preventiveIntervention.jpg)
Note: Click the image to Enlarge.
Resources
Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Youth People:
Progress and Possibilities (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12480)
From the National Academy Press, this document explores prevention practices in a variety
of settings, including programs for selected at-risk populations (such as children and youth
in the child welfare system), school-based interventions, interventions in primary care
settings, and community services designed to address a broad array of mental health needs
and populations.
Guideposts for Success for Youth with Mental Health Needs (http://www.ncwd-
youth.info/guideposts/mental-health)
The Guideposts for Success are a framework to assist the multiple organizations that need
to be involved to meet the needs and improve the transition outcomes of all youth,
including youth with disabilities. The guideposts discuss school-based services, career
preparation, leadership opportunities, community services, and family involvement
supports for youth with mental health needs. These documents were developed by the
National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (http://www.ncwd-youth.info/) which is
supported by funds from the Department of Labor.
Positive Mental Health (http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/mental-
health/positive-health.html)
The O ce of Adolescent Health provides a range of information on mental health including
a section focused on positive mental health and how to promote resilience. Visit the site to
learn more about this topic and other mental health information for adolescents.
1 Miles,
Espiritu, Horen, Sebian, & Waetzig, 2010
2 WHO, 2010
3 WHO, 2010
4 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and
Practices, 2012
5 O’Connell, Boat, & Warner, 2009, p. 66
6 O’Connell, Boat, & Warner, 2009, p. 155
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Mental Health (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health)
Key Terms (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/key-terms-related-mental-health-continuum)
Developmental Competencies & Resilience (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/de nitions-developmental-
competencies)
Prevalence (/youth-topics/prevalence-mental-health-disorders-among-youth)
Risk & Protective Factors (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/risk-and-protective-factors-youth)
Warning Signs (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/warning-signs)
Co-occurring Disorders (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/co-occurring)
Speci c Disorders (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/mental-health-disorders)
Effects (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/how-mental-health-disorders-affect-youth)
Attitudes & Discrimination (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/role-stigma)
Promotion & Prevention (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/mental-health-promotion-prevention)
Trauma Informed Approaches (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/trauma-informed-approaches)
Treatment Options (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/treatment-options-youth-mental-health-disorders)
School-Based Supports (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/school-based)
References (/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/references)
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