My Lobotomy: A 23-Minute NPR Radio Piece on Howard Dully

[revnaknuma]

lobotomy was a successfull treatment before the invention of antipsychotics.
I have anger disorder. without antipsychotics I would be in prison.
If I lived in 1940s, I would prefer lobotomy instead of prison.
I am on Paxil, Risperdal and Haldol for anger management. full success without any adverse effect. Paxil is an SSRI, Risperdal and Haldol are antipsychotics.
my brain works very properly with them. without these meds, my brain needs a lobotomy.

 

[revnaknuma]

One more note:
I love psychiatric meds.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

My father was severely bipolar and among various treatments, electo-shock therapy was administered. Other than loss of short-term memory, there was no effect that I am aware of. It certainly didn't cure him. He look lithium salts which did have a positive effect. When the dosage was correct, he could live a normal life. Unfortunately it was difficult to get the dosage right and so he was often over or under medicated. It was not easy to distinguish between the former of these two conditions and his underlying bipolar condition. He spent some time in a mental institution and was given who knows what treatment. They so incapacitated him that he was little more than a zombie when I visited him there. It was obvious that he was a problem for them and they solved their problem by treating him. When I removed him from there, he recovered almost immeditately.

My son is autistic and has not had any medical treatment for this condition. I was advised to give him ritalin, but decided against it. He was never a behavioral problem beyond what is normally expected of children so I don't know why the drug was recommended. Ritalin is not considered a treatment for autism, but rather for some of its symptoms. I think some parents are at the end of their ropes trying to cope with autism and seek a remedy for their own problem by treating the child.

 

[lisab]

My father was severely bipolar and among various treatments, electo-shock therapy was administered. Other than loss of short-term memory, there was no effect that I am aware of. It certainly didn't cure him. He look lithium salts which did have a positive effect. When the dosage was correct, he could live a normal life. Unfortunately it was difficult to get the dosage right and so he was often over or under medicated. It was not easy to distinguish between the former of these two conditions and his underlying bipolar condition. He spent some time in a mental institution and was given who knows what treatment. They so incapacitated him that he was little more than a zombie when I visited him there. It was obvious that he was a problem for them and they solved their problem by treating him. When I removed him from there, he recovered almost immeditately.

My son is autistic and has not had any medical treatment for this condition. I was advised to give him ritalin, but decided against it. He was never a behavioral problem beyond what is normally expected of children so I don't know why the drug was recommended. Ritalin is not considered a treatment for autism, but rather for some of its symptoms. I think some parents are at the end of their ropes trying to cope with autism and seek a remedy for their own problem by treating the child.

Sad but true. And not only for autistic children.

Your father's story is so sad. I have a lot of gratitude for the researchers who developed the meds we have now, to help people like your dad and revnaknuma. Go, science, go!

 

[Proton Soup]

i can't help but wonder if any doctors had this treatment thrust on them. perhaps by some dissatisfied customer.

 

[causalset]

i can't help but wonder if any doctors had this treatment thrust on them. perhaps by some dissatisfied customer.

Better question: if these doctors find THEMSELVES depressed or whatever, would they willingly ask for the same treatments they are giving their patients?

While we are at it, I know there was one case when Freeman gave someone lobotomy for headache. I am sure he, himself, had headache at some point in his life (everyone does). So why didn't he lobotomize himself?

 

[causalset]

lobotomy was a successfull treatment before the invention of antipsychotics.
I have anger disorder. without antipsychotics I would be in prison.
If I lived in 1940s, I would prefer lobotomy instead of prison.
I am on Paxil, Risperdal and Haldol for anger management. full success without any adverse effect. Paxil is an SSRI, Risperdal and Haldol are antipsychotics.
my brain works very properly with them. without these meds, my brain needs a lobotomy.

May be the problem is the society that would place you in prison, not you.

You see, if you have anger issue then AT LEAST IN PRINCIPLE something can be done (lots of self control and/or convince society not to put you in prison). But if you take antidepressants that block your nerve endigns or worse, loboomize youself, you cna't undo it. So you will not be as good in your career as you could have been and NOTHING can be done about it.

I think society should be more tolerant so ppl like you don't need to get antidepressants.

 

[Dominance]

Better question: if these doctors find THEMSELVES depressed or whatever, would they willingly ask for the same treatments they are giving their patients?

Probably not. Did you see the bit about "Freeman like to show off, sometimes doing a double handed icepick procedure" ?

Honestly, it's horrible.