Am J Psychiatry 1980; 137:1436-1439
Copyright © 1980 by American Psychiatric Association
Research directions in child psychiatry
I Philips
Current research in child psychiatry emphasizes the understanding of
biological mechanisms of behavior and its aberrations but neglects the
transactional relationships in interpersonal phenomena. This situation may
led to an unwarranted enthusiasm for biological forms of treatment. The
author calls attention to the importance of biopsychosocial elements of
behavior in the understanding of growth and development. He discusses
research directions to incorporate all elements of the behavioral sciences
in the study of child behavior.