Dennis P. Cantwell; Child Psychiatrist

Dr. Dennis Patrick Cantwell, 58, internationally known child psychiatrist, educator and researcher. Cantwell was the Joseph Campbell Professor of Child Psychiatry at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and had served as director of residency training in child psychiatry. A popular teacher, he was known for research in communication and learning disorders, disruptive behavior problems, mood and eating disorders, and suicidal behavior. He edited or helped to edit five books on children’s mental health and wrote more than 200 research articles. Cantwell earned multiple awards from the American Psychiatric Assn. and the Institute of the Living, and he received the lifetime achievement award from the Southern California Psychiatric Society. The Illinois-born Cantwell was honored by his two alma maters, the University of Notre Dame and Washington University School of Medicine. On Tuesday in Woodland Hills of a heart attack.