Lawrence Stone, M.D.
Past-President, AACAP
Violence is THE major societal epidemic. It will not be cured by an antibiotic or a vaccine, nor will any specific social, legal or governmental intervention serve as the cure. Violence is rooted in the enormous complexities of human development and its prevention or cure will require an understanding of the biological, psychological and social facets of development.
The factors impacting the tragic escalation of human-to-human violence clearly relate to significant alterations in all aspects of child and adolescent development. Changes in environmental and societal patterns of parenting, socialization, education, maturation, acculturation, and technology all have significant ramifications.
During the 1970's, many members of the AACAP began searching for the cause of this escalating public health demon, violence. It was at that time that I first addressed the theme that children were being abandoned, physically and psychologically, by the adult world, in the 1970 "Report to the President on the White House Conference on Children." While abandonment was recognized as one factor influencing the levels of violence, the role of individuals, families, and other social and educational factors were being included in the equation.
In my "Humpty Dumpty" Presidential speech to the AACAP in 1995, I congratulated us for moving forward in preventive medicine, public health, and behavioral systems approaches to study the prevention of violence and all of its tragic aftermath, while I demanded that we do more. AND WE ARE!
Child and adolescent psychiatrists are involved in every aspect of human growth and social development, including individual, family and group dynamics. As scientists and clinicians, we are uniquely positioned to understand this societal revolution. We have the fundamental knowledge, and the scientific and theoretical background to lead the battle in reducing the occurrence of violence.
As child and adolescent psychiatrists help to find solutions, we must work to involve individuals, groups and societal institutions. We must increase our individual and collective efforts in prevention, refine our training programs, redefine our treatment strategies, and redirect our research in order to lead a universal assault on all occurrences of violence.
Past-President, AACAP
Violence is THE major societal epidemic. It will not be cured by an antibiotic or a vaccine, nor will any specific social, legal or governmental intervention serve as the cure. Violence is rooted in the enormous complexities of human development and its prevention or cure will require an understanding of the biological, psychological and social facets of development.
The factors impacting the tragic escalation of human-to-human violence clearly relate to significant alterations in all aspects of child and adolescent development. Changes in environmental and societal patterns of parenting, socialization, education, maturation, acculturation, and technology all have significant ramifications.
During the 1970's, many members of the AACAP began searching for the cause of this escalating public health demon, violence. It was at that time that I first addressed the theme that children were being abandoned, physically and psychologically, by the adult world, in the 1970 "Report to the President on the White House Conference on Children." While abandonment was recognized as one factor influencing the levels of violence, the role of individuals, families, and other social and educational factors were being included in the equation.
In my "Humpty Dumpty" Presidential speech to the AACAP in 1995, I congratulated us for moving forward in preventive medicine, public health, and behavioral systems approaches to study the prevention of violence and all of its tragic aftermath, while I demanded that we do more. AND WE ARE!
Child and adolescent psychiatrists are involved in every aspect of human growth and social development, including individual, family and group dynamics. As scientists and clinicians, we are uniquely positioned to understand this societal revolution. We have the fundamental knowledge, and the scientific and theoretical background to lead the battle in reducing the occurrence of violence.
As child and adolescent psychiatrists help to find solutions, we must work to involve individuals, groups and societal institutions. We must increase our individual and collective efforts in prevention, refine our training programs, redefine our treatment strategies, and redirect our research in order to lead a universal assault on all occurrences of violence.
