Clinical questions and "real" research

Clinical experiences and the questions they generate are a rich potential source for increased understanding of psychopathology and its treatment. Yet a chasm frequently appears to exist isolating clinical observations from the "real" research viewed as essential to developing and testing their implications. This report suggests that a concept of real research limited to large-sample elaborate studies is too narrow for optimal progress in the field. Research principles for developing a clinical intuition systematically, in the clinical context, are described. The important values as well as limitations of this kind of research are noted.