Primary Prevention: Another Perspective

This paper is a response to the British Columbia mental health planning report's position on primary prevention. The report adopts the position of Lamb and Zusman (1979) that research and service aimed at primary prevention should not be funded with money allocated for mental health, and arguments are presented to support this viewpoint. This paper critically reviews the ideological underpinnings, the research base, and the action implications of these arguments, and provides another paradigm for mental health policy in Canada. It is proposed that a spirit of open inquiry is needed so that alternative paradigms can be explored and innovations in both rehabilitation and primary prevention can be allowed to develop.