Report / Royal Commission on the Law Relating to Mental Illness and Mental Deficiency 1954-1957.

  • Great Britain. Royal Commission on the Law Relating to Mental Illness and Mental Deficiency 1954-1957.
Date:
1957
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report / Royal Commission on the Law Relating to Mental Illness and Mental Deficiency 1954-1957. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    77/346 (page 65)
    legal terms when describing the present procedures and administration of services ; in describing earlier history we must use even older terms. RECOMMENDATIONS IN PART Il (1) For legal and administrative purposes three main groups of patients should be recognised and the following terminology used :— Mental disorder (mentally disordered patients) : to be used as a general term covering all forms of mental ill-health or disability. Mentally ill patients: The term “mental illness” should be used in the same sense as at present, including the mental infirmity of old age. The term “person of unsound mind” should no longer be used. Psychopathic patients, or patients with psychopathic personality: The term “ psychopathic personality ” should include any type of aggressive or inadequate personality which does not render the patient severely sub-normal (as below), but which is recognised medically as a patho- logical condition. Psychopathic patients include any patients at present classified as feebleminded or moral defectives who do not fall into our severely sub-normal group, as well as psychopaths who would not fall within the present legal definition of mentally defective persons. The term “ feebleminded psychopath ” may be applied to psychopaths whose disorder includes a marked limitation of intelligence but still does not bring them into our severely sub-normal group. Severely sub-normal patients, or patients with severely sub-normal personality: This term should be used when the general personality (covering intelligence and temperament together) is so severely sub- normal that the patient is incapable of leading an independent life. Severely sub-normal patients include those at present classified as idiots and imbeciles and some of those now classified as feebleminded. The terms “idiot” and “imbecile” and the terms “ mental defective” and “ defective ” should no longer be used. (Paragraphs 185-198.)