Transorbital lobotomy is a now-outdated and controversial neurosurgical procedure used to treat severe mental illness by disrupting connections in the brain's frontal lobes. This technique involves inserting an instrument, typically a leucotome or an ice pick, through the eye socket (orbit) to access the frontal lobes of the brain. The procedure aimed to alter the brain's neural pathways to alleviate symptoms of mental disorders such as schizophrenia, severe depression, or anxiety. Transorbital lobotomy became popular in the mid-20th century as a method to manage patients who were otherwise unresponsive to conventional treatments. The primary cause for performing a transorbital lobotomy was to address intractable mental health conditions by severing connections between the frontal lobes and other brain regions. This was believed to reduce symptoms such as agitation, hallucinations, or severe mood disturbances, often with the intention of improving the patient's overall functioning and quality of life.
However, the procedure was fraught with significant complications and risks. Patients often experienced severe and irreversible side effects, including personality changes, emotional flatness, cognitive impairment, and loss of executive functions like planning and reasoning. In some cases, the procedure led to permanent disability, seizures, or death. The ethical concerns surrounding transorbital lobotomy, combined with its often devastating effects on patients' lives, led to its decline and eventual replacement by more effective and humane treatments, such as psychotropic medications and modern psychiatric therapies. Despite its historical use, transorbital lobotomy is now widely regarded as a harsh and outdated practice in the field of mental health.
