[Developmental psychopathology. Basic science for child and adolescent psychiatry and psychiatry]

Although the developmental perspective is not new, developmental psychopathology has only recently become an interdisciplinary and integrative field of research for the understanding of normal and pathological development as well. There have been new findings during the past two decades in several areas: the individual and sex differences of certain disorders, continuity and change of behavior, risk factors and protective factors as well as turning points in development. Also, the current classification systems include the developmental perspective on a special axis devoted to developmental disorders. Nevertheless, there are still huge gaps in our knowledge in nearly all relevant fields that need to be filled in the future. On the other hand, the available knowledge has not yet been applied to diagnostic procedures, to therapeutic interventions, or to preventive measures.