The publication is devoted to such an important section of psychology and medicine as psychoprophylaxis. This is an important part of the knowledge of a practitioner who deals with the preservation of the mental he alth of a person.
What is psychoprophylaxis?
First, it is worth defining the term. Psychoprophylaxis is one of the sections of general prevention, which includes a set of measures aimed at studying the causes and timely elimination of mental disorders and diseases.
That is, psychoprophylactic activity is aimed at forming a common psychological culture, creating conditions for development and timely prevention of violations in the formation of personality. Such work can be done with children, parents, surrogates, teachers, company employees, and so on.
Goals and objectives
The purpose of psychoprophylaxis is the timely identification and elimination of factors leading to developmental deviations.
The tasks include the following.
- Preventing the development of deviation through early diagnosis.
- Elimination of actiondisease-causing cause on a person or organism.
- Taking action to prevent relapse.
In a broad sense, psychoprophylaxis for children and adults involves psychological activities that strengthen, improve and maintain mental he alth and well-being; prevent the occurrence of phobias, neurotic disorders; counteract emotional burnout, stressful effects; solve problems of mental organization at the personal, behavioral and existential levels.
Methods of psychoprophylaxis
A number of methods are used to carry out psychoprophylactic work:
- Early diagnosis of mental disorders and diseases.
- Medical examination of the mental state of different groups of the population - students, military personnel and so on.
- He alth education.
- Collection of statistical data on the conditions for the occurrence of mental disorders and their subsequent analysis.
- Organization of special medical care (psycho-neurological sanatoriums, dispensaries, night and day hospitals).
As the experience of specialists shows, psychoprophylaxis and psychotherapy are inextricably linked with each other. It is important to correct interpersonal relationships in order to eliminate emotional and behavioral disturbances. For this, various methods of family therapy are used.
Prevention areas
Specialists identify the following areas of psychoprophylactic activity:
- Warningacademic problems. This includes the development of cognitive processes (memory, thinking, perception, speech, imagination, etc.) and mental functions (logical, critical, creative and intuitive). As a rule, these types of work are carried out in educational institutions with children from an early age. But this can also be true for adults who have lost these abilities due to injury or serious illness. Work with such patients is carried out in medical and other medical institutions.
- Prevention of social and personal problems. It involves the formation of an adequate attitude to alcohol, tobacco, drugs and sexual intercourse. It can also be trained to critically perceive any advertisement, say “no”, manage aggression, skills of behavior in conflicts, and so on. As a rule, this area of psychoprophylaxis is realized in the form of trainings.
- Psychological rehabilitation. It is aimed at restoring lost mental functions and formations. They can be violated due to mental or physical trauma, distortions in the course of development (single-parent family, over- or under-guardianship of parents, a destructive social group, and so on). It also includes the formation of an adequate self-concept and conscious motivation, which can be relevant for any person.
Forms of psychoprophylactic influence
There are different types of psychoprophylaxis:
1. Informing. This is the most common line of work. It can be done in the formconversations, lectures, watching films, videos and distributing narrow literature. The meaning of the approach is the impact on cognitive processes to increase the ability of the individual to make constructive decisions. Usually, information is used that is confirmed by statistical data. It can also be intimidating. For example, the negative consequences of drug use are mentioned, personal degradation and the dramatic fate of deviants are described.
2. Organization of the social environment. This form implies an impact on the environment. Such psychoprophylaxis can be directed at teachers, a class, a school, a social group, a family, a specific person. Sometimes the whole society becomes the object of influence. Most often, to form a general negative opinion about deviant behavior. To implement this form of prevention, social advertising can be created (for example, to develop attitudes towards sobriety and a he althy lifestyle). The involvement of the media is of particular importance here.
3. Formation of the desire to lead a he althy lifestyle. With this form of work, an idea is created of personal responsibility for one's he alth, harmony with one's body and the world around. Also, a person learns to counteract adverse factors and achieve a state that is optimal for a particular situation.
4. Stimulation of personal resources. It involves creative self-expression, sports, participation in groups of psychological growth. In turn, this ensures the activity of a person, his he alth and resistance to influence.negative external factors. This form of work is especially important for ensuring the psychoprophylaxis of children.
5. Minimization and elimination of negative consequences of destructive behavior. Usually this form of work is used in cases where deviant actions have already been fixed in the mind of the individual. The main goal is to prevent relapses and their undesirable consequences.
6. Active learning of important social skills. Usually it is implemented through group trainings. The most common types are:
- Life skills training. Under them it is customary to understand the most important social skills. First of all, this is the ability to communicate, build friendships and resolve conflicts. No less significant are the skills of confident behavior, self-control, and changing oneself depending on the situation. Also here can be attributed the ability to accept responsibility, to defend one's interests.
- Assertiveness training. It is based on the idea that deviant behavior is directly related to emotional disturbances. Therefore, in the classroom, the psychologist teaches you how to effectively cope with stress, understand your feelings and express them in an acceptable way. Also, during the training, self-esteem increases, the desire for self-determination and the development of positive values is stimulated.
- Resistance training. This is psychoprophylaxis of negative social influence. During the lesson, positive attitudes are formed and resistance to destructive factors is developed.
Poway of organizing psychoprophylactic activities can be divided into individual, group and family forms of work.
Principles
Specialists note that when conducting psychoprophylaxis, the following principles must be observed:
- Targeting. This means that gender, age and social characteristics should be taken into account.
- Complexity. It is most effective to influence at various levels: personality, family and social space.
- Positivity of information.
- Minimizing negative impacts.
- Future-oriented result.
- Maximum activity, personal interest and responsibility of participants.
Steps
Specialists distinguish several stages (levels) of psychoprophylaxis depending on whether a person is he althy, is at risk, has mental disorders or a pronounced persistent pathology. It is customary to adhere to the international classification. According to her, prevention is divided into:
- primary;
- secondary;
- tertiary.
Next, each of the levels will be discussed in more detail.
Primary prevention
This is a set of measures that are aimed at preventing the occurrence of mental disorders. They apply both to mental illnesses themselves and to disorders associated with organic abnormalities of the brain. Primary psychoprophylaxis involves the study of the resistance of the psyche to the influence of harmful agentsenvironment, identifying possible ways to improve this endurance and prevent psychogenic illness.
Activities at this level are closely linked to general prevention. Therefore, specialists from different fields (psychologists, doctors, physiologists, sociologists and hygienists) should participate in them. At the same time, a special role is assigned to psychotherapists and clinical psychologists, who are able not only to detect neuropsychiatric diseases at an early stage, but also to develop and implement special measures.
In a sense, primary prevention is the medical examination of he althy people, since neuropsychiatric disorders can occur due to several reasons:
- Unfavorable socio-psychological conditions of development and existence. Improper upbringing in childhood, micro-social conflicts, information overload, etc.
- Biological factors. Adverse heredity, brain injuries, somatic diseases, intoxication, harmful effects at the stage of prenatal development.
There are several types of primary psychological prevention:
- Education of psychological literacy among the population.
- Educational work that deals with stressful situations, their consequences, prevention methods and ways to counter them.
- Correction of destructive interpersonal relationships.
- Teaching self-regulation techniques.
- Mastering skills to get rid of deviant behavior and harmfulhabits.
Secondary psychoprophylaxis
Secondary psychoprophylaxis is a set of measures aimed at eliminating such risk factors that, under certain conditions, lead to a relapse or exacerbation of the disease. Including disorders that are dangerous to the life and he alth of not only the patient himself, but also those around him may occur.
Secondary psychoprophylaxis involves the earliest possible identification of the initial stages of neuropsychic abnormalities and their timely active treatment. That is, control over the aggravation or reappearance of the negative consequences of an already ongoing disease is carried out. If the treatment is untimely or of poor quality, then the disease may take a protracted
The outcome of mental illness is strongly influenced by active methods of treatment, advanced pharmacological drugs. They noticeably increase the number of cases of recovery and discharge of patients from psychiatric hospitals. But it should be borne in mind that the secondary psychoprophylaxis of behavior involves not only work with the biological component of the disorder. It also requires the use of sociotherapy and psychotherapy. Dispensary observation is considered the most effective method for this level of psychological prevention. It includes early detection of signs of deviation, dynamic examination, directed treatment and rehabilitation.
Tertiary psychoprophylaxis
Tertiary psychoprophylaxis is a system of measures aimed at preventing the formation of mental disorders and disability inchronic disorders. The measures are aimed at the rehabilitation of patients who have lost their full-fledged life.
That is, at this level of psychoprophylaxis, psychologists and other specialists are engaged in the prevention of disability in the presence of a neuropsychiatric disorder. It is important to prevent the occurrence of relapses and restore a person's ability to work.
In the treatment of great importance is the competent selection of medicines and pedagogical correction. So, with affective disorders (for example, with manic-depressive psychosis), the emphasis is on the use of lithium s alts. For the prevention of neurosis, psychotherapy and other forms of work are mainly prescribed.
In tertiary psychoprophylaxis, a special role is given to techniques that are aimed at maintaining working capacity. To do this, the following events are usually held:
- Search for ways for self-actualization. A person must become aware of his own capabilities in order to replenish his resources for growth and development.
- Vocational rehabilitation. This is a search for career opportunities, new resources for activities or a change of profession.
- Social adaptation. When a sick person returns to their usual environment, the most favorable conditions should be created.
Psychoprophylaxis and mental hygiene are the same thing?
What is psychoprophylaxis has already been discussed. Now you need to get acquainted with the concept of psychological hygiene. This is the science of maintaining and preserving the neuropsychicpersonal he alth. Psychohygiene performs a number of important tasks. It creates scientifically substantiated psychohygienic standards and recommendations. Transfers this knowledge and teaches the necessary skills to educators, he alth professionals, parents and other groups. The tasks also include sanitary and educational work, which is carried out among a wide range of the population.
Some experts believe that a sign of identity can be put between mental hygiene and psychoprophylaxis. This opinion is not unfounded.
For example, the German scientist K. Hecht, speaking in his book about mental hygiene, gives his definition of this science. He wrote that psychological hygiene can be understood as the preventive protection of a person's neuropsychic he alth. For this, in his opinion, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for the full development of the personality and the functioning of the brain. It is equally important to increase the resistance of the psyche to harmful environmental factors. It is also necessary to establish multilateral interpersonal relationships, improve living and working conditions.
Soviet psychologist K. K. Platonov believed that mental hygiene is a science that lies at the intersection of hygiene and medical psychology. It aims to improve the environment and improve living conditions.
According to L. L. Rokhlin, it is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of psychoprophylaxis and psychological hygiene. They are only closely related to each other. After all, it is impossible to strengthen and maintain mental he alth without preventing diseases. The scientist talked about conditionaldelimitation of these two industries. He believed that the main goal of mental hygiene is the strengthening, improvement and preservation of he alth through the formation of an appropriate social and natural environment, an appropriate lifestyle and regimen. While psychoprophylaxis is aimed at preventing mental deviations.
So, the publication told about the basics of psychoprophylaxis, its goals, objectives, principles, forms, methods and levels. You can draw some conclusion. Psychoprophylaxis is a branch of general he alth prevention, which is associated with a number of social and medical sciences. This direction of science is useful for everyone, including people without mental disorders. After all, as you know, the disease is easier to prevent than to treat it. If the deviation is started, then psychoprophylaxis can also help find a suitable solution to stabilize the condition.
