The development of psychiatry and its complexity

10 years of collaboration Umeå/Sweden – Rostock/Germany On the initiative of Prof. em. Carlo Perris and of Assoc. Prof. Martin Eisemann from the WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Training in Mental Health at the Department of Psychiatry, Umeå University, in spring 1986 collaborative efforts were started within the international research project „Parental rearing and psychopathology in adults“. During the past 10 years numerous reciprocal visits have taken place. The scientific collaboration has been intensified and the range of topics broadened. Presently four topics constitute the main focus of investigations: A) Parental rearing and psychopathology in adulthood B) Decision-making in the treatment of incompetent severely ill patients C) Cognitive dysfunctions in schizophrenic patients D) The preparation of the German version of Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). The scientific encounters have proven most fruitful, reflected in some 16 joint publications in international scientific journals and by a number of contributions in books. As a direct result of this collaboration in 1995 an official partnership agreement was concluded between the universities.