What Is a Frontal Lobotomy?
A frontal lobotomy is a surgical procedure, performed on the brain of someone who suffers from certain psychiatric conditions. Now considered a barbaric procedure, frontal lobotomies were developed and performed at a time when the mentally ill were routinely placed in asylums. While the cure rate using frontal lobotomies was not high, it was the first treatment that showed any improvement at all for many patients. In a frontal lobotomy, the patient has the connection to the prefrontal cortex severed. The prefrontal cortex is the front section of the frontal lobe of the brain.
The first frontal lobotomy was performed in 1935, and the procedure was widely used throughout the 1940s through the mid 1950s. The development of antipsychotic medications in the mid 1950s reduced the number of frontal lobotomies gradually. It took years for antipsychotic medications to replace the frontal lobotomy as the treatment of choice for many types of mental disorders.
Initially, the frontal lobotomy was an invasive procedure that required the doctor to drill holes through the skull and into the brain. The physician then used alcohol or a specialized tool to destroy portions of the brain. Later, physicians modified the procedure, and doctors accessed the brain through the eye socket. This made the procedure possible on patients in state hospitals that would not otherwise have access to a medical treatment that required a surgical room, anesthesia and intensive postoperative care.
The invasive method of surgery made the procedure risky, and deaths were common. Other side effects included epilepsy and permanent muscle weakness. The severity of possible side effects, the fact that the procedure did not dependably treat the condition, and the development of medications that could treat psychotic illnesses all led to the decline in popularity in this procedure.
Originally, frontal lobotomies were prescribed for patients with schizophrenia, dementia, mania, anxiety, and paranoia. At the time that frontal lobotomies were developed, other extreme methods of dealing with mental illnesses were explored as well. While the new methods of treating mental illness seem barbaric now, at the time they were the only treatment methods available. The other extreme methods of treatment included electroconvulsive therapy, insulin shock therapy, deep sleep therapy, and malarial therapy.
Written by Amy Hunter
