It is clear that child and adolescent psychiatric disorders impose a heavy burden of suffering. Recent large-scale community epidemiological studies suggest that as many as 20% of children and adolescents in the general population may have clinically important mental disorders. These disorders are accompanied by associated impairments in various domains of the child's life, resulting in lowered life quality for the child and his or her family. In addition, for some conditions, the onset of the disorder in childhood heralds a lifetime of serious psychosocial disturbance for a significant...

It is clear that child and adolescent psychiatric disorders impose a heavy burden of suffering. Recent large-scale community epidemiological studies suggest that as many as 20% of children and adolescents in the general population may have clinically important mental disorders. These disorders are accompanied by associated impairments in various domains of the child's life, resulting in lowered life quality for the child and his or her family. In addition, for some conditions, the onset of the disorder in childhood heralds a lifetime of serious psychosocial disturbance for a significant...