The procedure is intended to help with psychiatric and neurological conditions but can have serious risks and unwanted outcomes.
In the mid-20th century, the lobotomy was a popular cure for mental illness.
It was part of a new wave of treatments for neurological diseases, includingelectroconvulsive therapy(ECT).
Verywell / Alex Dos Diaz
The operation was deemed a success.
But Freeman wanted lobotomies to be a more streamlined process.
This adapted procedure became known as an ice pick lobotomy.
About 50,000 people received lobotomies in the United States, most of them between 1949 and 1952.
Freeman himself is said to have performed about 3,500 patients, including 19 children.
The youngest was just four years old.
Effects of Lobotomies
What happens to a person after a lobotomy varies considerably.
Some people did improve and were able to go on and live relatively independent lives.
In other instances, people lost functioning and became emotionally numb and apathetic.
Some people who were lobotomized became catatonic following the procedure.
Lobotomies were also fatal in some cases.
Unfortunately, this was not the case for the majority of patients.
Here are a few people who underwent lobotomies and the impact the operation had on their lives.
Six days after the operation, Hammatt experienced transient language difficulties, disorientation, and agitation.
Nevertheless, Freeman considered the outcome a success.
As a child and young adult, Kennedy has mild developmental delays that impaired her performance in school.
Doctors knew the procedure was over when she stopped speaking.
Why Were Lobotomies Performed?
The lobotomy is considered one of the most barbaric treatments in the history of modern medicine.
Even in the 1940s, lobotomies were the subject of growing controversy.
Psychotherapy
Talk therapy can be an effective tool in the treatment of mental health problems.
Medication
Medications are also often prescribed to help relieve symptoms of mental disorders.
Such medications may include antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, stimulants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers.
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