Table 1.

World Health Organization's classification of preventive approaches for mental disorders ³⁶

Public health classification of prevention	Gordon's classification of prevention 33 , modified by the US Institute of Medicine 34
Primary prevention seeks to prevent the onset (incidence) of a ­disorder or illness.
	Universal prevention is defined as those interventions that are targeted at the general public or a whole population group that has not been identified on the basis of increased risk.
	Selective prevention targets individuals or subgroups of the population whose risk of developing a mental disorder is significantly higher than average, as evidenced by biological, psychological or social risk factors.
	Indicated prevention targets high‐risk people who are identified as having minimal but detectable signs or symptoms foreshadowing mental disorder, or biological markers indicating predisposition for mental disorders, but who do not meet diagnostic criteria for disorder at that time.
Secondary prevention seeks to lower the rate of established cases of the disorder or illness in the population (prevalence) through early ­detection and treatment of diagnosable diseases.
Tertiary prevention includes interventions that reduce disability, enhance rehabilitation and prevent relapses and recurrences of the illness.