Michael Rutter (1933-2021)

Abstract

Memorializes Michael (Mike) Rutter (1933-2021), widely known as "the father of child psychiatry." Mike was just as much revered as a child psychologist as he was as a child psychiatrist. From the beginning of his career, at the Institute of Psychiatry in London in the 1960s, where he remained until his death, Mike not only engaged with psychological theories and research but also made unparalleled contributions to our understanding of children's mental health problems. What was remarkable about Mike was that he made foundational contributions in so many areas of developmental psychology, including, but not limited to, the impact of maternal separation on children, the influence of families and schools, the psychological consequences of extreme deprivation, genetic and environmental influences on autism, longitudinal studies of children's mental health, and risk and resilience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).