Epigenetics - revolutionizing developmental psychopathology?

Epigenetics, a discipline concerned with genes in the context of development, has shown that genetic influences on development are always based on an interaction between genome and environment. Therefore, the assumption that the genetic influence on (psychological) development is constant and can only be changed via genetic procedures is wrong. In this article, following a brief introduction to epigenetics, the influence of epigenetic processes on the pathogenesis of psychological disorders and whether these processes are bound to certain phases of development is reviewed. Subsequently, epigenetics is considered in the context of clinical psychology. Based on the findings presented throughout this article it is discussed whether epigenetics represents a revolution in developmental psychopathology and which consequences recent epigenetic findings have for clinical child psychology.