Grounded in a relational view of infancy, this volume offers a comprehensive analysis of developmental, clinical, and social aspects of mental health from birth to age 3. Essential topics addressed include models of development, neurobiology, the family and cultural contexts of infant mental health, and frequently encountered disorders of infancy. Assessment and intervention are discussed in depth, with coverage of practitioner-based models of psychotherapy as well as programmatic approaches to prevention and early intervention. Also covered are important issues related to family and social policy, such as the effects on infant development of early child care and parental divorce.

Charles H. Zeanah, Jr., MD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Vice-Chairman of Psychiatry, and Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Tulane University School of Medicine. He also directs an intensive intervention program for maltreated infants and toddlers in the New Orleans area. During the past two decades, his clinical and research interests have concerned development and psychopathology in the early years. A member of the MacArthur Research Network on Early Experience and Brain Development, Dr. Zeanah serves on the editorial board of the Infant Mental Health Journal and is Editor of The Signal, a newsletter of the World Association for Infant Mental Health.

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