We aim to improve child and adolescent mental health by the development of more effective identification, prevention and treatment approaches, based on the multi-disciplinary and collaborative scientific study of causal processes underlying the development of disorder using cutting edge methods and testing contemporary theories. This approach requires a strong connection between research and evidence based assessment and treatment for the benefit of patients and their families.
One of the main goals is to offer an increasing number of children and adolescent seen and treated in our services participation in research projects and therewith help to generate new evidence for the future.
We primarly focus on three main areas of research
- Epidemiology, i.e. studies that explore protective factors, risk factors and processes related to the development of mental health problems and disorders in children and adolescents.
- Dimensionel neuropsychiatry, i.e. studies that measure clinical, neuropsychological and neurobiological dimensions closer to the underlying biology than the relatively distal clinical syndromes in populations at risk or in populations with manifest mental disorders.
- Interventions i.e. studies that focus on preventive strategies that target important areas of function in children with specific vulnerabilities, as well as programs offering treatment to individual children that show signs of mental health problems, however without filling criteria for a diagnosis. Moreover, studies of effectiveness and of adverse effects in several clinical treatment approaches.
The Research Unit is located at Gentofte Hospital, Kildegaardsvej 28, Opgang 3A, 1 sal, 2900 Hellerup.
We hope that the website gives a good impression of the Research Unit's vision and activities, and contributes to participate either as a reader, researcher or participant in one of our studies.