In her book, psychiatrist Lee Combrinck-Graham argues that the consistent tendency in psychiatry to focus solely on the medical pathology of the individual, neglecting the larger context, fails the children who are most at risk. Combrinck-Graham points out that what is needed, is for medical psychiatry to view the child from a developmental and dynamic perspective that considers differential seetings and conditions.

Combrink-Graham challenges her readers with the question: What is medical illness in children? The answer, she writes, is not to be found in strictly biomedical terms. Typically, a biomedical resolution at clinics begins with a thorough legal assessment leading to a diagnosis “which in turn, virtually prescribes treatment.” The