Department of psychiatric pathology of early childhood

Galina Vyacheslavovna Kozlovskaya is the head of the Department of psychiatric pathology of early childhood, professor, doctor of medical sciences. In 1970 she upheld her PhD thesis “Specifics of mental disorders in blind children”, and 1996 - her doctoral thesis was devoted to “Mental disorders in early childhood”. Her scientific interests involve problems of clinical states, epidemiology, rehabilitation and prevention of mental disorders in early childhood, as well as the evaluation of the risk factor of mental disorders during early ontogenesis, in particular, factor of mental deprivation, genetic factors (associated with the risk of schizophrenia) and organic pathology of the brain. She is the author of 100 papers and a textbook on childhood psychiatry. Under the supervision of G.V. Kozlovskaya, 7 PhD's and 2 doctoral theses have been upheld. She takes part in the organization of new forms of psychopreventive care and mental care for children of the first years of life.

This independent research unit, dealing with mental pathology of early childhood (micro-psychiatry), was organized in the Centre in 1990. At the beginning of its activities, the attention of the team was focused on the study of mental development of children and the identification of groups with a high risk of schizophrenia (in the offspring of schizophrenic patients). Eventually the research was broadened with the inclusion of pathogenetically various developmental abnormalities, i.e. such as the consequence of emotional deprivation, cruel treatment, etc.

The Department is staffed with 7 research fellows.

The structure of the Department consists of 3 groups: a study group on early mental dysontogenesis; a study group on the role of the course of pregnancy in the formation of abnormalities in the psycho-biological “mother - child” system at the stage of early mental dysontogenesis; a study group on clinical and biological research of the cases of mental disorders of early childhood.

Scope of research activities of the Department:

1. Study of the phenomenology of mental disorders of the early childhood.

2. Evaluation of the role of genetic, cerebro-organic and psychosocial risk factors in the development of psychiatric pathology in the early ontogenesis.

3. Elaboration of various forms of mental care for patients of early childhood.