UNDERSTANDING DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY - HOW USEFUL ARE EVOLUTIONARY ACCOUNTS

Objective: To consider the power of principles derived from evolutiona ry biology to explain the causes and determinants of some forms of chi ld and adolescent mental disorders. Method: The authors reviewed the s cientific literature for evolutionary mechanisms proposed to contribut e to the pathogenesis of early-onset disorders. Results: A diverse set of evolutionary mechanisms has been proposed. With the exception of c ertain genetically determined conditions, many of the proposed mechani sms have little empirical data to support them. One mechanism focuses on the vulnerabilities associated with conserved behavior patterns, su ch as separation anxiety and other alarm responses. These behavioral p atterns are adaptive if they appear in some situations, but not in oth ers. Other attractive theories include a co-optation of underlying neu robiology systems (substance abuse), environmental shifts (transformat ion of present day environments away from primeval environments), and evolutionary arms races as may occur in putative autoimmune disorders with neuropsychiatric sequelae. Conclusions: Evolutionary biology prov ides a potentially powerful framework for understanding disease pathog enesis in child psychiatry and should permit the integration of new kn owledge from a broad range of scientific disciplines. Evolutionary exp lanations are typically population-based and fail to account for why a particular individual is affected. Consequently, any adequate account of disease pathogenesis requires that environmental events that impin ge on CNS development be considered. Finally, the empirical testing of specific theories may prove to be difficult if not impossible.