Dear Colleagues,

It is a pleasure to present to you the 8th European Congress on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, to take place at the Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao from 26th to 28th April 2018.

This congress is organised by SEPYPNA, the Spanish Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Society and AEPEA, the European Association for Child and Adolescent Psychopathology.

Under the title "Psychological development, psychopathology and human relations today: interaction between the biological and the social aspects", we present a scientific programme that covers both experience-oriented knowledge and that which sets out to incorporate current scientific and social challenges. 

Our profession's approach to objective science and the demands of evidence-based medicine has taken up new technologies and research methods. Recent advances in neurobiology and genetics have confirmed that they are by nature open to interaction with human relations and the environment. Our practices are also affected by the implementation of new forms of healthcare management derived from globalised ideological and political/economic options.

Constant social impacts and cultural changes are shaking up our feelings and continually renew the need to get involved in the study of human events and phenomena and their consequences, both psychological and psychopathological, for children and adolescents' minds and in the dynamics of family life.

Both spheres, the biological and the social, call for thought and research to test the relevance and use of new kinds of therapeutic insights and intervention and to consolidate both new and existing knowledge and practices with tests of their viability and effectiveness. We are sure that what the speakers and participants assembled for this congress have to say will contribute to this.

We hope you will be able to take an active part.

Bilbao offers everything needed to hold events of this kind. The Palacio Euskalduna is a perfect venue, while the transformation of our city into a cosmopolitan metropolis represents an added attraction. Our closeness to the magnificent, totally redeveloped area round the Ría, our estuary, to Bilbao's Fine Art and Guggenheim museums and its Old Town offer you the chance to make the most of the wide range of culture, accommodation and food our city has to offer.

We will be delighted to welcome you to enjoy a few days of scientific discussion and social interaction that we firmly believe will enrich us all both personally and professionally.

Yours truly,

The local organising committee