IDIOCY, IDIOTS. — Belonging to the more severe or major group of the mentally deficient (v.), together with the imbeciles (v.), are the idiots or “cerebropathic mentally deficient” (S. de Sanctis), whose condition is linked to arrested development of the encephalon, caused by toxic factors (alcoholism), circulatory, mechanical, or infectious factors (syphilis or other neurotropic viruses), which acted upon the brain during its development, in the intrauterine period, at the time of birth, or during the first years of extrauterine life; hence extremely severe disturbances of the psychic functions, accompanied by particularly motor neurological symptoms (strabismus, paresis, paralysis, etc.).
The severe forms of i. lead to the complete absence of every manifestation of higher psychic life, both cognitive and affective; consequently, the individual, incapable of communicating with others by means of speech, either understanding it or expressing his own thoughts through it, and of providing for his own existence, comes to find himself at a level lower than that of the beast.
In some milder varieties of i., a rudimentary form of understanding and language may develop, capable of expressing the most elementary needs and the outline of some twilight state of consciousness, while intelligence always remains inferior to that of a six-year-old child; in such cases, the administration of certain Sacraments may be justified. The character of idiots, according to the degree of mental poverty, ranges from complete insensibility to the most unconsidered, aggressive irascibility, at times going so far as suicide and brutal assaults; puberty is delayed, and sexual manifestations, usually very weak, in some cases instead assume the most shameless and perverted forms because of the complete lack of moral inhibition.
Physical characteristics, linked to abnormal cranial development and neurological lesions, accompany the mental picture (macrocephaly due to hydrocephalus, microcephaly, sloping forehead, strabismus, prognathism, paralysis, etc.), revealing, even from the mere external appearance, the subject’s idiocy.
I. may manifest itself in different syndromes, in relation to the varying neurological symptomatology; from this standpoint, therefore, within the common framework of frenastenic psychic disorders, the clinical pictures of “infantile cerebral paralyses,” “hypertrophic tuberous sclerosis,” “familial amaurotic idiocy,” “sporadic myxedematous cretinism,” etc., assume different aspects.
In view of the severe anatomical cause, the sequel of the previous encephalic lesions, idiots are not susceptible to treatment or improvement; nevertheless, in less severe cases, through admission to and the work of suitable institutions (v. MINORATI PSICHICI), it may be possible to make very limited use of whatever glimmer of mental activity may be present.