Scope

The section focuses on relationships between developmental processes, mental health and psychiatric illness. The section aims to publish significant clinical and epidemiological studies linking developmental science with psychiatry, with particular attention to the first two decades of life. It also publishes basic science findings relevant to this theme and works from allied disciplines (e.g. psychology, cognitive neuroscience, linguistics) that may have clinical impacts. We strongly encourage developmental scientists and researchers from allied disciplines to bring their work to the attention of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

In particular, we emphasize the value of longitudinal studies for increasing understanding of the development of psychiatric disorders, especially the new generation of longitudinal studies that incorporate conventional or high-throughput molecular genetics. As longitudinal studies increasingly include structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging and other modalities used to image the brain, these will enrich our understanding of brain development and the development of psychiatric disorder. There is also continued needs for careful phenomenological studies, clinical description of new syndromes and for studies investigating how changes in environmental risk factors and society in general may influence the development or the expression of psychopathology.

Copyright Statement