The relevance of infant psychiatry to the understanding of adult psychopathology

Abstract

This paper examines the relevance recent findings in Infant Psychiatry may have for the understanding of adult psychopathology. For example, evidence of both continuity and discontinuity within development is cited as one way in which the continuity of specific psychiatric conditions from childhood to adulthood can be understood. Another example are the aims of Developmental Psychopathologists who examine the mechanisms which underlie developmental transformations and who try to differentiate variations seen in normal individuals from disorders. The paper ends by citing the advantages Infancy as a developmental period has in providing reference points for the understanding of cohesion within development. These are: 1. The rapid rate of change seen in children during this age period. This allows the observation of many developmental transformation and reorganizations. 2. The degree to which infants document how much we can shape our own environment. 3. The pervasive importance interpersonal relationships have for any human activity. 4. The need to understand development and hence change within the context of the environment. 5. The persuasive evidence which suggests that psychological disorders are generally based on real rather than imagined adverse events.