Person-Centred Prevention in Psychiatry

Abstract

Person-centred Psychiatry (a new approach to the field of psychiatry) and Preventive Psychiatry (an important aspect of psychiatric care) are two perspectives that share a substantial theoretical and practical base. In clinical practice the complex interface between the two is difficult to describe, but is easy to demonstrate. The reason is that both approaches reinvent and articulate core principles of Medicine. Person-centred psychiatry represents a broader view of the field, beyond the reductionism of nosocentric care, and is characterised by holism, illness prevention and health promotion. Here we discuss the opportunities and challenges that arise from the clinical application of prevention in person-centred psychiatry and describe important paradigms of case studies to demonstrate its application in clinical practice. We conclude that, even though the theoretical case is made for both person-centred psychiatry and preventive psychiatry, additional evidence will be helpful to advance their clinical application.