The field must capitalize on prevalence data.(COMMENTARY)

Publication: Behavioral Healthcare Tomorrow

Publication Date: 01-OCT-05

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Manisses Communications Group, Inc.

As a key part of transformation, the mental health and substance abuse fields have begun to incorporate the public health model. In this model, work always begins with defining the nature of the problem, followed by solutions, not the reverse.

Importantly, in the field of mental health, there is a particular concern with the burden of mental illness in the community, which is critical to planning health services for the future. Prevalence data are essential to these tasks. Such data help us define the nature of the problem as a preliminary step to developing meaningful solutions.

First, some concepts:

Community prevalence defines the extent of the problem in a community for a period of time, usually a year.

Community incidence is the number of new cases that occur in the community during that same...

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