Dr. M David Kurland discusses his research in the psychiatry field, and the various studies he's done over his life from Harvard Medical School and afterward.

1. “The more research I do, the less psychiatry I know."!
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Dr. M David Kurland received these wise words
from David Shaffer, director of child psychiatry at
Columbia (and excellent researcher).!
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True research is a demanding taskmaster. The
genuine stuff requires rigorous fidelity to the highly
focused testing of a narrowly defined hypothesis.
Great effort is expended on some very limited
question while most psychiatry lies neglected.!
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Dr. Kurland published and presented three of these
projects in his career. Most of his work with data
and analysis, in contrast, has taken the form of
surveys and studies of broader issues more
relevant to his clinical work with children and
families. One, for example, was a study of which
children get placed outside the home and which do
not. Studies yield suggested answers to
meaningful questions but lack enough focus and
rigor to prove anything. They have been meaningful to some. To others, they have not been
rigorous enough to prove anything.!
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Dr. M David Kurland has made the following observations through his research...!
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Children are admitted to residential placements, not because of mental illness, antisocial
behavior, or parental failure alone, but because two or three of these factors are present
together.!
Residentially placed children are assuredly more disturbed than children seen in an outpatient
clinic.!
The SF36 scale, which is widely used as a measure of the severity of emotionall/behavioral
conditions, is a good measure of depression, which manifests as distress, but poorly picks up
alcoholism, which manifests as a disorder of function and behavior.!
The command hallucinations, which appear in a number of severely traumatized children,
respond well to antipsychotic medications.!
The parents of children who are admitted to an emergency service are markedly more disturbed
than average parents.!
The psychiatrist who engages in research and investigative studies disciplines himself to know
what it is he really knows, what he doesn’t know, and to know the difference. After all, the child
psychiatrist has few tests, laboratory or otherwise, on which to base his judgments and
decisions. The child and parents then rely on his judgment, perceptiveness, and mind. He must
develop and improve his abilities to understand, analyze, and decide as he evaluates and
treats. For this, the psychiatrist who’s done research has a decided advantage. A record of
research and studies should positively recommend a psychiatrist.