Increasingly, planners and practitioners are considering setting up a greater level of preventive mental health care at a local level. "Preventing Mental Illness in Practice" aims to inform their decisions by describing characteristics of "good practice", and identifying a number of promising approaches which are described in some detail. The review represents the second stage of a prevention research project set up by MIND (National Association for Mental Health). The criteria used for identifying good practice are that the project: is targetted towards people known to be at high resk of mental illness; makes maximum use of existing natural, voluntary of community support networks; and supports people in a way that enhances their capacity to control their own life circumstances. The projects selected cover the life stages - from pregnancy and early childhood to old age. They are discussed in the context of relevant research findings which give the rationale for the approach. Ten different projects or services are described: what is provided, how the target group is engaged, the resources required, management problems, and evidence of effectiveness.

Is there any evidence that we can reduce the incidence of mental ill health? Is it possible to prevent recurrence of mental ill health? Aspirations to achieve both these goals have featured in mental health policy and practice for over 100 years. This comprehensive and accessible book draws on research on the development and persistence of behavioural problems in childhood, adult depression and schizophrenia. The association between social disadvantage and mental ill health, as well as the need for preventive care to start from conception and the crucial importance of maternal mental health, are discussed. A variety of prominent programmes which have good evidence of efficacy are described. These include: Targeted approaches with individuals and families Macro policies affecting housing and employment Lifestyle contributions such as diet and exercise However, some attempts to achieve preventive benefits have not succeeded, and reflecting on these problems is an important feature of this review. Jennifer Newton has written extensively on these issues for over twenty years, and her careful examination of the research literature provides a succinct overview of the state of current knowledge which will benefit mental health professionals, and students of health psychology and public health. It also takes a life course perspective, and considers how, when and why vulnerability persists through childhood into adult life, so will interest those whose work focuses on child well-being.

Is there any evidence that we can reduce the incidence of mental ill health? Is it possible to prevent recurrence of mental ill health? Aspirations to achieve both these goals have featured in mental health policy and practice for over 100 years. This comprehensive and accessible book draws on research on the development and persistence of behavioural problems in childhood, adult depression and schizophrenia. The association between social disadvantage and mental ill health, as well as the need for preventive care to start from conception and the crucial importance of maternal mental health, are discussed. A variety of prominent programmes which have good evidence of efficacy are described. These include: Targeted approaches with individuals and families Macro policies affecting housing and employment Lifestyle contributions such as diet and exercise However, some attempts to achieve preventive benefits have not succeeded, and reflecting on these problems is an important feature of this review. Jennifer Newton has written extensively on these issues for over twenty years, and her careful examination of the research literature provides a succinct overview of the state of current knowledge which will benefit mental health professionals, and students of health psychology and public health. It also takes a life course perspective, and considers how, when and why vulnerability persists through childhood into adult life, so will interest those whose work focuses on child well-being.

This edited volume offers a range of insights about, practices of and findings associated with enrichening health and social care students' learning by their engagement in educational processes during and after the completion of their practicum experiences in health and social care settings. That is, using post-practicum intervention to augment and enrich those learning experiences. The collected contributions here draw on the processes of trialing and evaluating educational processes that aimed to enrich those practicum experiences for purposes of improving students' understandings, abilities to address patients' needs, and health and social care related dispositions. These processes and findings from these processes across medical, nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, pharmacy, exercise physiology, dietetic and speech pathology education speak directly to educators in both clinical and educational settings in the health and social care sectors. These messages, which arise from educators and clinicians enacting and evaluating these interventions, offer practical suggestions as well as conceptual advances. The reach of the accounts of processes, findings and evaluations is not restricted to this sector alone, however. The lessons provided through this edited volume are intended to inform how post-practicum interventions might be enacted across a range of occupational fields.