Abstract
BackgroundSimilar to other health care sectors, mental health has moved towards the secondary prevention, with the effort to detect and treat mental disorders as early as possible. However, converging evidence sheds new light on the potential of primary preventive and promotion strategies for mental health of young people. We aimed to reappraise such evidence.MethodsWe reviewed the current state of knowledge on delivering promotion and preventive interventions addressing youth mental health.ResultsHalf of all mental disorders start by 14 years and are usually preceded by non-specific psychosocial disturbances potentially evolving in any major mental disorder and accounting for 45% of the global burden of disease across the 0–25 age span. While some action has been taken to promote the implementation of services dedicated to young people, mental health needs during this critical period are still largely unmet. This urges redesigning preventive strategies in a youth-focused multidisciplinary and trans-diagnostic framework which might early modify possible psychopathological trajectories.ConclusionsEvidence suggests that it would be unrealistic to consider promotion and prevention in mental health responsibility of mental health professionals alone. Integrated and multidisciplinary services are needed to increase the range of possible interventions and limit the risk of poor long-term outcome, with also potential benefits in terms of healthcare system costs. However, mental health professionals have the scientific, ethical, and moral responsibility to indicate the direction to all social, political, and other health care bodies involved in the process of meeting mental health needs during youth years.
Highlights
Similar to other health care sectors, mental health has moved towards the secondary prevention, with the effort to detect and treat mental disorders as early as possible
The present work aims to emphasize the relationship between these early intervention components and offer new directions for clinical research into the full development of a youth-based model of mental healthcare focused on prevention
Conclusions and future directions In order to guarantee youth a healthy mental development through promotion, prevention, and early interventions, research evidence supports the implementation of healthcare systems integrating mental, primary, and social care [128]
Summary
Similar to other health care sectors, mental health has moved towards the secondary prevention, with the effort to detect and treat mental disorders as early as possible. Converging evidence sheds new light on the potential of primary preventive and promotion strategies for mental health of young people. While representing a field of remarkable achievement, that of early intervention in youth health is a target not completely accomplished yet [7]. This is true for youth mental health. Mental healthcare has been traditionally oriented to provide health benefits to adult populations during crisis events and major emergencies [8]. In this framework, mental health presentations to emergency settings in pediatric populations are somewhat frequent events [9]. Deinstitutionalization policies have only partially addressed this issue, in light of the large variability worldwide in the implementation of community mental health services [10], especially for children and young adults [11]
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