The concept of being ‘Evidence-based’ is relatively novel for Psychiatry, which has a long tradition of an individualised and idiosyncratic approach rather than of a scientific abstractive-ness. Being evidence-based means that the clinical practice should be founded primarily upon the best data available, coming from well-designed and carefully interpreted quantitative research studies.

This approach decreases the value of intuition and emphasises the importance of learning from rigorous scientific research. It heralds that more effective psychiatric practice would result from better utilisation of its research base in combination with clinical wisdom and that psychiatrists using this approach will be in a position to provide superior patient care. The mission of the Evidence Based Psychiatry Section is to promote the evidence-based approach as the core principle in the understanding of the causes of mental illnesses, the development of treatments and preventive strategies, and the promotion of public mental health.