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Author(s) -
Stafseng Ola
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1987.tb07757.x
Subject(s) - progressivism , mental illness , politics , psychology , primary prevention , dash , medical education , medicine , psychotherapist , political science , mental health , law , disease , pathology , computer science , operating system
The need for classification of the relationship between theory and practice in the prevention of mental illness is stressed. At present, there is a loose and approximate relationship between theory and practice, and the author warns against just mixing a dash of medical and social theories of mental illness, a dash of practical and semi‐professional reason, and a dash of political progressivism. This leaves open the questions of who are the actors of prevention and which professions contain the skills, knowledge and language of prevention. Practitioners and scientists have to clarify the distinctions between therapy and primary prevention on the one hand and prevention and politics on the other. The importance ofre‐examining thoughts on the relationship between the individual and society is also emphasized. In primary prevention there has to be a shift of focus from the passive victimized patient to the active individual trying to influence environment and society.