Infant psychiatry viewed from a world perspective.

Infant psychiatry, a relatively new and growing field, recognizing that clinically relevant problems can be identified in infants and young children. Infant mental health emphasizes the importance of both preventive intervention and treatment approaches. The World Association for Infant Mental Health is an interdisciplinary and international organization devoted to furthering our understanding of infant psychiatry with the following goals: (i) to promote education, research and study of the effects of emotional development during infancy on later normal and pathological development; (ii) to promote research and study of the mental health of parents, families, and other caregivers of infants; (iii) to promote the development of scientifically based programs of care, intervention, and prevention of mental impairment in infancy; and (iv) to facilitate international cooperation among individuals concerned with promoting optimal development of individuals. In this paper, I will present current work on major areas of concern for infant psychiatry and relate them to psychoanalytic perspectives in this area.