Epidemiology and child psychiatry: entering the second phase

Recent progress in epidemiological studies describing the prevalence, distribution, and possible determinants of psychiatric disorders in children have pointed the way toward a new, experimental phase for research. Such investigations would be formal in design, use principles of a preventive trial, and exploit all current knowledge about the role of risk factors and causal mechanisms. This paper proposes the prevention of conduct disorder as the most productive starting point for this new phase.