Leonhard’s phasic psychoses

by Thomas A. Ban

The term “phasic psychoses” coined by Edna Neele, in 1949, was adopted by Karl Leonhard, in 1957, in his “Classification of Endogenous Psychoses” in which he used the term to indicate a class of psychoses characterized by episodic course with full remission between episodes. The scope of “Leonhard’s phasic psychoses” is narrower than Neele’s. It is restricted to manic-depressive disease, pure melancholia, pure mania, pure depressions and pure euphorias.

Leonhard K. Aufteilung der endogen Psychosen.Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; 1957.

Neele E. Die phasischen Psychosen mit Ihrem Erscheinungs – und Erbbild. Leipzig: J.A. Barth; 1949.

Thomas A. Ban
January 2, 2015