LETTER TO THE EDITOR Manifest for evidence-based child psychiatry in France Baudouin Forgeot D’Arc • Samuele Cortese • Franc ¸ois Pinabel • Diane Purper-Ouakil Ó Springer-Verlag 2012 Since decades, there exists a controversy about the place of evidence-based practice in French child psychiatry, in the context of a large influence of psychoanalysis in this country. Although an increasing group of professionals is oriented at an international standard of care based on methodologically sound empirical evidence, recent events may reinforce the misleading generalization that French professionals involved in child mental health do not implement modern clinical practices based on empirical scientific knowledge. As recent examples we briefly men- tion the following two, both related to the management of individuals with autism and other pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs): 1. An international group of experts in PDDs published in the February 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, a consensus statement considering as ‘‘unethical’’ and ‘‘against evidence- based practice parameters’’ an ‘‘alleged form of therapy’’ labeled as ‘‘le packing’’, implemented by some French practitioners for severe behavioral prob- lems in children and adolescents with PDDs [1]; 2. In September 2011, a movie (‘‘The Wall’’), focusing on the management of individuals with autism in France, was diffused on the internet. According to this movie, psychoanalysts treat individuals with PDDs using anach- ronistic, non-evidence-based and unethical methods [2]. These events have led us to further reflect on the implementation of evidence-based practice in child psy- chiatry and allied disciplines in France. Beyond any polemics, we wish to clarify that in France many profes- sionals in child mental health do not include controversial On behalf of the French Group for Good Clinical Practice in Child Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. The members of the French Group for Good Clinical Practice in Child Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines are listed in the Appendix. B. Forgeot D’Arc (&) Programme Autisme, Ho ˆpital Rivie `re-des-Prairies, 7070 Boulevard Perras, Montreal, QC H1E1A4, Canada e-mail: b.forgeot@gmail.com B. Forgeot D’Arc Centre de Recherche en Sante ´ Mentale de l’Universite ´ de Montre ´al, Montreal, QC, Canada S. Cortese UMR_S INSERMU 930, ERL 3106, Franc ¸ois-Rabelais University, Child Psychiatry Centre, University Hospital, Tours, France e-mail: samuele.cortese@gmail.com S. Cortese Phyllis Green and Randolph Cowen Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience, Child Study Center of the NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA S. Cortese Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience, New York University Child Study Center, New York, USA F. Pinabel Private Practice, 6 avenue de Tourville, Paris, France D. Purper-Ouakil CHRU Montpellier, Me ´decine Psychologique De l’Enfant et de l’Adolescent, Ho ˆpital Saint Eloi, Montpellier, France D. Purper-Ouakil INSERM U894, Team 1, Paris, France 123 Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry DOI 10.1007/s00787-012-0324-3