HEBEPHRENIA

This article appears in Volume V14, Page 607 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: HAN-HEG

HEBEPHRENIA .ThiS is a disease of adolescence (Gr. en) which was first described by Hecker and Kahlbaum and more recently by Kraepelin and other foreign workers. Hebephrenia is not yet recognized by British alienists. The descriptions of the disease are indefinite and confusing, but there are some grounds for the belief that such an entity does exist, although it is probably more correct to say that as yet the symptoms are very imperfectly understood Hebephrenia is always a disease of adolescence and never occurs during adult life. It attacks women more frequently than men, and according to Kahlbaum hereditary predisposition to

insanity

INSANITY (from Lat. in, not, and sanus, sound)

is present in over 50% of the cases attacked. The onset of the disease is invariably associated with two symptoms. On the physical side an arrested or delayed development and on the mental a

gradual

GRADUAL (Med. Lat. gradualis, of or belonging to steps or degrees; gradus, step)

failure of the power of attention and
Hebephrenia.
concentrated thought. The onset of the

condition

CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

is always

gradual

GRADUAL (Med. Lat. gradualis, of or belonging to steps or degrees; gradus, step)

and the symptoms which first attract attention are mental. The patient becomes restless, is unable to settle to

work

WORK

, becomes solitary and peculiar in habits and sometimes dissolute and mischievous. As the disease advances the patient becomes more and more enfeebled, laughs and mutters to himself and wanders aimlessly and without object. There is no natural curiosity, no

interest

INTEREST

in life and no desire for occupation. Later, delusions may appear and also hallucinations of hearing, and under their influence the patient may be impulsive and violent. Physically the subjects are always badly developed. The temperature is at times slightly elevated and at intervals the white blood corpuscles are markedly increased. The menstrual

function

FUNCTION

in women is suppressed and both male and female cases are addicted to masturbation. According to Kraepelin 5% of the cases recover, 15% are so far relieved as to be able to live at

home

, but are mentally enfeebled, the remaining 8o% become hopelessly demented. The patients who recover frequently show at the onset of their disease acute symptoms, such as mild excitement, slightly febrile temperature and

quick

QUICK

pulse

PULSE

-rate. When recovery does take place there is marked improvement in development. The subjects of hebephrenia are peculiarly liable to tubercular infection and many die of phthisis.
There is no

special

SPECIAL

treatment for hebephrenia beyond attention to the general health.

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