“Inoculation” as a Third Paradigm of Mental Health Promotion

Abstract

Currently, two paradigms of mental health promotion are widely accepted; the ‘prevention’ and the “well-being” paradigms. This article discusses the position of the ‘Inoculation’ postulation in mental health promotion. Utilising Meichenbaum's stress inoculation training (SIT) model as an example of the paradigm, the limited reference to inoculation’ within mental health promotion literature is questioned and discussed. It is suggested that the inoculation paradigm is different from the ‘prevention’ and the “well-being” paradigms, both in its theoretical assumptions and its practical approach to mental health promotion; although various ‘prevention”’programs demonstrates that with little, and in some cases, no change such programs could be labelled as possessing an inoculation component. The paper argues for an analysis of the relevance of physical immunization assumptions for inoculation against mental health problems and after outlining a review of past and present trials in conducting physiological inoculation proposes that the inoculation paradigm requires serious and intensive consideration as a possible strategy for improved mental health promotion.