The ethics of social risk reduction in the era of the biological brain

In keeping with our transdisciplinary orientation, in this article we try t o do several things at once. We address research on preventing mental illne ss and its relation to existing conceptions of public health, a topic to wh ich insufficient attention has been paid in the era of the biological brain , while using this case study to illustrate the limits of conventional appr oaches in bioethics. After identifying the crucial need for methodological self-consciousness in prevention research and policy, we explore the implic ations as they relate to (i) the values embedded in the choice of research designs and strategies, and (ii) contrasting intellectual starting points r egarding the biological plausibility of preventing mental illness. We then draw attention to the need for more thoughtful analysis of the appropriate role and limits of economics in making choices about prevention of mental i llness. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.