Secondary Prevention:
The various aspects of secondary prevention are:
1) Early Diagnosis and Case Finding
This can be achieved by educating the public and community leaders, industrialists, Mahila Mandals, Balwadis workers in how to recognize early symptoms 'of mental illness. Seek the help of the public health nurses. They can play very important role in this area.
2) Early Reference The public should be educated to refer these cases to proper hospitals as soon as they recognize early symptoms of mental illness.
3) . Screening Programmes Simple questionnaires should be developed to identify the symptoms of mental illness, and administration of the same in the community for early identification of cases. These questionnaires can be simplified in local languages, and used widely in the colleges, schools, industries, etc.
4) Early and Effective Treatment Early and effective treatment will help in quick recovery and prevent setting in of chronicity.
5) Mental Health Education This could be carried out be conducting mass camps and through flim shows, flash cards, and also through mass media communication.
6) Training of Health Personnel Orientation courses to enable the members of the care-giving profession to detect cases early in the course of their rounine work should be conducted. They may be trained to handle problems, which they could refer to appropriate agencies.