Heboidophrenia

HEBOIDOPHRENIA, HEBOID, a term introduced in 1889 by Kahlbaum to denote that group of diseases in which the characteristic features of hebephrenia in terms of personality and behavior, which also develop in adolescence as in this disease, are not accompanied by formal manifestations of mental disorder (confusion, delusions, hallucinations) and do not lead to mental deterioration. Its representatives, 'heboids,' show particularly noticeable defects in the area of moral feeling and are distinguished by criminal tendencies. Kahlbaum's observations were confirmed in a number of later works. Rinderknecht, under the name 'criminal heboids,' comparatively recently (1920) described children in whom antisocial tendencies were combined with manifestations of emotional dullness, extending not only to others but to their own interests as well. Meggendorfer in a number of similar cases found a strong hereditary burden with schizophrenia. A considerable part of the cases described as heboids should be classified as mild schizophrenia, but apparently among them there are also true psychopaths showing no signs of progressive development toward increasing schizophrenic traits. Most often they are classified as antisocial or amoral psychopaths (moral insanity), although essentially they may be closer to Kretschmer's affectively dull and cold anesthetic schizoids.