Issues in the Prevention of Depression in Women
Abstract
<p> Le, Muñoz, Ippen, and Stoddard (2003 ; this issue) presented compelling arguments for the prevention of depression in three groups of women where the risk of depression is high and the potential payoff is also great. These include women who are tobacco smokers, pregnant or postpartum women, and adolescent girls. Each of these health or developmental groups is associated with increased risk for depression, although whether this association is correlational or causal is still open to question-and should be the focus of future research. As depression intervention researchers, we enthusiastically support Le et al.'s call for more focused depression prevention research and policy emphasis.</p><p>Given our general agreement with the conclusions of Le et al., what can our commentary add to their already persuasive arguments? We attempt to elaborate on themes introduced by Le et al., informed by our own experiences and musings about depression prevention. The themes that we want to examine are all linked by their importance to the eventual success of depression prevention efforts: the prevention of depression conditions or states that are less severe than major depression; designing prevention strategies that address the unique problems of each of these targeted, at-risk groups; and implementation