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Applying Psychology
in the 21st Century
Beating the Odds: Preventing
Psychological Disorders
Before They Start
When we think about the possibility of
contracting physical diseases such as can-
cer, diabetes, or heart disease, we often
think of preventive measures we can take:
lose weight, eat nutritious foods, exercise
regularly, don’t smoke. But when we think
of psychological disorders such as depres-
sion, anxiety disorders, or schizophrenia,
we tend to assume that we are just passive
victims and can do nothing to prevent
them. But is that assumption really true?
Rather than treating psychological dis-
orders after the symptoms fully appear,
some researchers now suggest that an al-
ternative might be to provide appropriate
intervention as soon as the initial signs of
an impending problem emerge before a
disorder fully develops. Taking advantage
of opportunities to potentially stop or
reduce the progression of psychological
disorders would reduce the cost of mental
health care as well as lessen the suffering
of individual patients. Essentially, these
researchers argue, it is cheaper and less
painful to prevent a problem from occur-
ring than it is to fi x it after the fact (Cloud,
2009; National Research Council and In-
stitute of Medicine of the National Acad-
emies, 2009).
But can psychological disorders be pre-
vented, particularly when they have a
genetic component? The answer, according
to a growing body of research, is yes. The
expression of a genetic disposition toward
mental illness often depends on environ-
mental factors. Research is fi nding that
young people who are at risk of develop-
ing a disorder (because one of their parents
suffers from the disorder themselves, for
example) benefi t from school- and home-
based interventions that reduce the envi-
ronmental stress factors that might trigger
the disorder.
Consider, for example, depression.
Children of depressed parents are at
increased risk of developing depression
themselves. But when these children are
active and engaged with others, and when
they understand what depression is and
that it can be treated, their increased risk of
becoming depressed appears to diminish.
Specifi cally, family-based interventions to
help children of depressed parents develop
resilience have been shown to be effective
in reducing the onset of depression. In such
programs, parents are taught communica-
tion skills, and the children are taught cop-
ing skills. In addition, the entire family is
educated about depression and how it af-
fects their relationships with one another.
Interventions such as this can reduce
children’s predepressive symptoms and
provide better long-term outcomes (Beards-
lee et al., 2007; Riley et al. 2008; Garber et
al., 2009).
Other research suggests that early inter-
ventions can reduce the onset of additional
psychological disorders and related prob-
lems, such as substance abuse, conduct dis-
orders, antisocial behavior, aggression, and
even schizophrenia. The key is to catch and
stop these problems early in life among at-
risk children.
The potential benefi ts in terms of im-
proved quality of life for those individuals
as well as potential benefi ts to society of
reducing the cost of care are great, generat-
ing increasing interest in approaches to
prevention of psychological disorders (Na-
tional Research Council and Institute of
Medicine of the National Academies, 2009).
• Because it is important to catch the symptoms of psychological disorders early on,
would you favor routine in-school behavioral screening of children for symptoms
of disorders? Why or why not?
• Do you think children of individuals with moderate or severe psychological disor-
ders should receive genetic screening to determine if they carry genes related to the
disorder? Why or why not?
RETHINK
Early intervention can prevent psychological disorders from becoming more serious.
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