Psychopathic States

Abstract

Here we have a subject which, under various labels, has defied adequate definition. It is easier to say what psychopathic states are not, rather than what they are, and therefore this classification has been liable to be used as a dumping ground for conditions which do not conform to established clinical entities. The term psychopathic state does not apply to individuals who are mentally defective or frankly psychotic, but in Professor Henderson's words those " who throughout their lives, or from a comparatively early age, have exhibited dis-