The Investigation and Diagnosis of Behaviour Disorders in Children

[The following paper is a summary of two lectures given by Dr. Lucas, of the Maudsley Hospital, at the Secretaries' Course in February, and is reprinted at the request of those who attended the Course.] Behaviour disorders in childhood and adolescence are of more serious import than is usually recognised. Too often are they the direct precursors of neurosis and of crime in adult life, yet it is only within recent years that this fact has received any recognition. Today the subject of juvenile delinquency is attracting considerable and increasing attention in other countries and here, also, public opinion is being aroused to the necessity of more adequate and efficient treatment of the young offender. It is perhaps well, at such a time, to make a brief survey of the former theories as to the causation of delinquency and to consider whether any of these theories now suffice for our needs, or whether in the light of our present knowledge of the subject, the previous hypotheses need some modification. 1 he attitude of society in general towards the antisocial behaviour of delinquents and criminals has altered considerably during the past century. At one time, the criminal was considered to be a fixed and unalterable type, presenting in inherited disposition and physical characteristics the stigmata of indubitable and irremediable degeneracy. Lombroso showed us in portrait after portrait the facial types which we have since learned to associate with feeble-mindedness and constitutional inferiority, rather than with criminality per se. It is small wonder that a widespread belief in a criminal type produced at the time a completely paralysing effect upon constructive efforts towards the prevention of crime, the attitude being that lifelong incarceration was the only means of controlling this menace to society. At a later date, environmental conditions came into prominence as a causal factor of delinquency. It was realised that many, perhaps the majority of law