Mental health has lagged behind physical health in terms of focus on prevention. To date, the emphasis has been on secondary approaches to prevention of psychosis using early detection and early intervention models. But is this really the most effective approach? It may be time to move to a primary or population-based prevention focus. This symposium will present new data relating to both primary (population-based) and secondary (early intervention) approaches to prevention of psychosis. Data will be presented from epidemiological studies of first episode psychosis and large population-based and register-based studies. Hannah Jongsma will present data from the EU-GEI study showing an association between greater owner-occupancy levels and lower incidence of psychosis and increased risk for psychosis among minority groups. Hannah also will show that risk for psychosis incidence extends beyond young adulthood. Olesya Ajnakina will show that “At risk mental state” approach may not be as useful for prevention of psychosis as had been originally hoped. Kristine Engemann Jensen will report that childhood exposure to green space is a novel protective factor for psychosis, showing the importance of the built environment for mental health. Sir Robin Murray argues that we should harness public health and political measures to prevent psychosis. He shows that 24% of psychosis cases could theoretically be prevented by eliminating use of high-potency cannabis use in the population. Professor Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg will draw on these findings, and insights from his own work, in discussing how we can develop a new prevention-focused paradigm of research on psychosis.
