ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Attention to ethical aspects of research is essential when conceiving, designing, and conducting biomedical investigations in humans (DHHS 1991a). Research involving children and adolescents is subject to additional requirements because these subjects are considered a ‘‘vulnerable population,’’ not able to make fully informed decisions about participation in clinical investigations (DHHS 1991b). It is probably not coincidental that one of the first chapters of this book on pediatric psychopharmacology is devoted to bioethics. In fact, without careful integration of ethics into science, clinical investigation is not possible.
