The Controversial History of Lobotomy: Understanding the Risks and Negative Effects

A lobotomy is a type of psychosurgery that involves cutting or scraping away part of the frontal lobe of the brain. The procedure was developed in the 1930s and gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s as a treatment for mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety.
The goal of a lobotomy was to disrupt the abnormal patterns of brain activity that were thought to contribute to these conditions. The procedure typically involved drilling holes in the skull and inserting a surgical instrument called a leucotome into the prefrontal cortex to sever or destroy certain nerve fibers.
Lobotomies were often performed on patients who had not responded to other forms of treatment, such as medication or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). However, the procedure was not without risk, and many patients who underwent lobotomy experienced significant personality changes, cognitive impairment, and other negative effects.
The use of lobotomy declined in the 1960s and 1970s as more effective treatments for mental illness became available, such as antidepressant medications and psychotherapy. Today, lobotomy is no longer performed and is considered a controversial and largely discredited procedure.