Biological psychiatry marching towards the future and the perils of progress

The study of the biological determinants of abnormal behavior is not anymore psychiatry's stepchild, but a respected branch of that discipline. There is every reason to be optimistic over the future of biological psychiatry. The brain sciences are developing with astounding speed and the systematic attention for psychiatric-diagnosis and differential diagnosis renders biological psychiatry an unprecedented vitality. One should, however, not ignore some disquieting prospects. The following points of concern are discussed: the alarming shortage of young research psychiatrists; the deficiencies in the teaching of biological psychiatry; the hesitancy to utilize the fruits of brain and behavior research in clinical practice; the shortcomings in psychiatric diagnosing; nosological tunnel vision and, finally, the danger of overrating biological psychiatry with the inevitable disappointment reaction that will follow. The scientific maturation of psychiatry is contingent on a balanced development of its constituents.