The NIMH Advisory Council?s Workgroup on Mental Disorders Prevention Research, expected to present its final report to the council early this month, is calling for NIMH to define prevention research more broadly and to launch several new prevention initiatives aimed at improving the nation?s mental health, says psychologist Thomas Coates, PhD, the workgroup?s chair and professor of medicine and epidemiology and director of the AIDS Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco.

According to Coates, the prevention workgroup is recommending that:

? NIMH expand its definition of prevention research to include studies of risk factors for mental illness, co-morbidity of mental illnesses, and relapse and disability caused by mental illness.

? Prevention research be expanded beyond the individual to include the study of families, communities and other social systems, including public policy and laws that may affect the effectiveness of prevention interventions?just as, for example, drunk-driving laws dramatically decreased the number of car accidents.

? More research be conducted into decreasing relapse and disability in people with such major mental disabilities as schizophrenia.

? More studies be done on the cost-effectiveness of prevention interventions.

? NIMH fund more research that integrates social, behavioral and genetic risk factors into prevention interventions.

? More research be conducted on ways to prevent depression and aggression.

? NIMH fund more research on common sets of risk factors that occur early in life and lead to a variety of adolescent and adult disorders. In particular, the committee recommends research on the risk factors themselves and on interventions to modify these early risk factors so that people can be spared negative outcomes.

Other aspects of the working group?s recommendations were still being worked out as the Monitor went to press.

NIMH Director Steven Hyman, MD, commissioned the report to serve as an outline for a newly invigorated program of prevention research at the institute. As yet, no one is saying how much money the institute will devote to expanding its prevention research portfolio. However, Hyman, who is responsible for major funding allocations, has repeatedly underscored his commitment to the prevention arena. ?I would not have taken on this job if I didn?t think NIMH was truly committed to prevention research,? Hyman says. ?If new money is available, I believe that prevention research will be a high priority.?

APA President Martin E.P. Seligman, PhD, is cautiously optimistic about NIMH?s commitment to prevention research.

?NIMH has a visionary director,? says Seligman. ?And I believe that he wants to change things so meaningful research can be done. But we?ll have to wait and see if his goodwill be translated into the major funding that prevention research needs.?

?Beth Azar