Psychosurgery
By Erin Curry
Psychosurgery
Surgery procedure
Electric shock
Dr. Walter Jackson Freeman
How and who would undergo this surgery?
Contact information
Website: http://neurosurgery.mgh.harvard.edu/functional/psysurg.htm
Location: Massachusetts General Hospital 15 Parkman St. ACC # 331 Boston, MA 02114
Phone: (617) 726-6766
The pluses and minuses
Just like any other surgery even after the procedure, there still remains a risk of seizures, fatigue, and personality changes. Although there were some risks many people who were suffering from intractable schizophrenic, depressive or neurotic illnesses appeared to improve greatly, and because there was so few other treatment options many people often decided to have the surgery done.
Case Study
'Case I A 35 year old married woman, who worked as a shop assistant, gave a 3-year history of endogenous depression, characterised by diurnal variation, early morning insomnia, loss of appetite and weight, loss of feeling and libido, ideas of unworthiness, and suicidal feelings. She also developed a fear of leaving home when severely depressed. She had two courses of ECT as an out-patient, but failed to maintain improvement and had to be admitted, when a third course of ECT was given, together with tricyclic antidepressants. After a brief improvement, she was tried on combined tricyclics and MAOIs, but had to be readmitted. She deteriorated, refused further ECT, and was discharged to attend the Day Hospital, where she failed to continue individual psychotherapy, and abreaction did not bring any change." From this case study you can see that the surgery didn't work for everyone, and sometimes had very sad results. From, Downloaded. A Cohort Study of Psychosurgery Cases from a Defined (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
Work Cited
"Feminist Anthropology: Past, Present, and Future." Choice Reviews Online 44.06 (2007): n. pag. Web.
"Psychosurgery." TheFreeDictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.
"Neurosurgery at Nimhans." : The Ice Pick Leucotome. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.
"LALIZAS IMO SIGNS - Risk Of Electric Shock." LALIZAS IMO SIGNS - Risk Of Electric Shock. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.
Hussain, E. S., H. Freeman, and R. A. Jones. "A Cohort Study of Psychosurgery Cases from a Defined Population." Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.