Surely you have ever heard the phrase “you seem to have been brainwashed!”, to refer to a person who has radically changed their opinion on a topic. But where does this expression come from? It seems that the practice of brain lobotomy gave shape and meaning to this. A kind of “magic”, as some called it, that “cured” some psychological disorders.
If you want to know more details about the practice, in this Psychology-Online article, we tell you What is lobotomy and what is it for?. In addition, we will also talk about what its consequences are and when brain lobotomy was prohibited.
What is lobotomy
Prefrontal leucotomy or lobotomy is a surgical procedure by which nerve fibers from the frontal region of the brain are sectioned, disconnecting the frontal cortex from the rest of the brain. This practice was carried out in the 20th century, when psychiatrists inserted a large needle into the brain in order to modify it. The goal of this procedure, known as lobotomy, was change disruptive behaviors or that caused discomfort in patients during an operation.
Thus, lobotomy consists of drilling a hole in the skull and introducing special instruments to sever the nerve fibers of the frontal lobe. But what happens if you have a lobotomy? The hypothesis that supports this procedure is that it can be modulate behavior and the emotions in humans and higher primates, as well as pathologies such as depression, anxiety, psychoses and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
History of lobotomy
In 1946, Walter Freeman promoted the transorbital lobotomyor ice pick lobotomy, in which an orbitoclast was introduced through the inner extremity of the eye and, with a metal mallet, the nerve connections of the frontal lobe of the brain were cut, transforming the lobotomy into a quick, outpatient practice.
Initially, the technique was implemented exclusively in patients with severe schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or severe depression. However, Freeman later practiced this technique on all types of patients, even people without psychological illnesses who simply had a threatening look.
Freeman traveled throughout the United States performing lobotomies on patients with psychiatric disorders until the 1950s, when this method stopped being used due to the appearance of new techniques such as chlorpromazine. The famous doctor, despite the loss of his license due to the death of one of his patients while performing a lobotomy, continued to practice his profession and use this method until the 1970s.
There were some cases of experimental lobotomies in Portugal and in the United States before the war, but it was only after 1945 that the practice took on its full scope. Disappeared in the 1950s with the arrival of the first neuroleptic (1952) and antidepressants (1955). In this article, we show you the different ones.
What is lobotomy for?
There are no precise therapeutic indications for lobotomies. The goal was to rid hospitals of “unruly” patients. It was necessary to find a way to send them back to their homes and “stabilize” them to “reintegrate” them.
It should be said that prefrontal lobotomy was performed without anesthesia, but it was performed after an electroshock that had an anesthetic effect, which had the advantage of being able to do it without the need for operating rooms. Furthermore, this operation calmed patients more difficultthis being the only criterion by which the effectiveness of brain lobotomy was judged.
Consequences of lobotomy
In 1949, the prestigious Portuguese neurosurgeon, Egas Moniz, received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the therapeutic value of prefrontal lobotomy in certain psychoses. Even so, it was later demonstrated the devastating consequences that lobotomy had for patients.
At first they appeared symptoms of stupor, confusional stateand even urinary problems such as incontinence and eating behavior disorders. Additionally, many patients seemed to act like children after a few days, which Freeman said was temporary.
What drew most attention to the patient’s social environment was the personality change in which he was involved. Seeing each other reduced decision-making capacity, planning, and attention, among other important psychological processes. Inhibition even appeared when faced with pleasant stimuli and the capacity for empathy could be affected.
All these side effects of lobotomies not being enough, some patients began to suffer seizures after being intervened. In fact, many of them died from this type of intervention.
When was lobotomy banned?
Prefrontal lobotomy actually disappeared with the introduction of chlorpromazine in the 50sa specific drug for the treatment of psychosis, when the long-awaited dream of treating psychiatric illnesses with medication was achieved.
Chlorpromazine allows the aggressive symptoms of numerous pathological entities to be satisfactorily controlled in the field of neuropsychiatry, in contrast to the ethical dilemma and side effects of lobotomy. Through its use, psychosurgery as a discipline suddenly and almost completely disappeared.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is lobotomy and what is it for?we recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Hernández, D., Manuel, ZDJ, & Roberto, R. History of psychosurgery. Lobotomy: from the Nobel Prize to opprobrium. International open university.
- Pignarre, P. (2020). The forgotten history. Social Sciences and Education, 9(18), 281-286.