Developmental Psychopathology

The difference between a DP approach and more traditional descriptive psychiatric approaches represented in Child Psychopathology textbooks is clear. The DP approach goes beyond the mere "what" of psychopathology (description of the phenomenology, etiology and epidemiology) to include the "how" of psychopathology. How does normal development go awry? What are the factors (mechanisms) that determine the multiple pathways that may lead to psychopathology in one child, but not another? Because of the focus on "how", the DP approach has over the last 20 years become the guiding framework for understanding psychopathology in children and adolescents. Courses both at the undergraduate and graduate levels are being renamed from "Child Psychopathology" or "Abnormal Child Psychology" to "Developmental Psychopathology". Yet, few textbooks have been created to guide teaching of DP courses at the upper undergraduate level.