Prevention and Mental Health Policy

Abstract

In health and public health policy in general, the conditions to support prevention policy are not yet apparent. Attention is low or fleeting, ambiguity is high, and debates on the meaning and application of prevention policies are wide. A supportive policymaking environment, producing regular windows of opportunity for specific policy changes, is difficult to identify. Such problems are accentuated when prevention and public health meet mental health. Recently, there have been meaningful calls for greater attention and resources to mental health policy, to pursue ‘parity’ between mental and physical health, and to stress the need for ‘public mental health’ to play a larger part in the public health agenda. However, this agenda remains in its infancy following decades of relative neglect, low public and policymaker attention, and uncertainty about what public mental health means (beyond the vague aim to promote mental well-being and prevent mental illness). At the same time, other policy agendas may undermine these fragile developments, such as when employment policy reforms affect the ability of people with mental ill health to receive social security benefits. In that context, we show that a firm and sincere commitment to public health and mental health is not enough to guarantee the success of preventive mental health initiatives.