A child psychiatry chairman's view.

Knowledge and services for children do not fare well when they are subordinate to either general or adult organizations. The history of the American Academy of Pediatrics and its publication, Pediatrics, and of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent psychiatry and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry provides eloquent evidence of how independence and autonomy foster organization and productivity for forging ahead in the service of a richer collaboration with adult psychiatry departments. Independence in acquiring and disseminating clinical and scientific knowledge based on child and adolescent perspectives enriches in breadth and depth our capacity to improve priorities for children and youth as part of the continuum of the life cycle in human development. It is long overdue that child psychiatry should follow the inspiration and support of the Academy in establishing independent, autonomous clinical and academic departments of child psychiatry. I believe the department of child psychiatry can be replicated nationally and internationally, but not without conviction, medical center commitment, and major independent fund-raising.