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Mental Health Treatments In The Early 1900s And Why They Were Harmful

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Hannah Hendrix Ms.Harder English 3 Honors 15 February 2023 Mental Health Treatments in the Early 1900s and Why they were Harmful Horrifying, shocking, and downright nauseating are words that some choose to describe the things done to those who were perceived to be suffering from mental illnesses in the early 1900s. These range from being chained up, drowned, shocked, cut open, and even detaching the entire frontal lobe from the brain. Needless to say, not a first-class experience. Many saw these treatments as the best solution but based on all the effects that happened without any type of consent, and how much they targeted women, there is no doubt that mental health practices in the early 1900s hurt more people than they helped. It is easy to look back to where the practices started to see how poorly they hold up by current standards. One of the first “cures” was referred to as hydrotherapy, this was …show more content…

It is said that “ The popularity of lobotomies spread like wildfire, with thousands of people being subjected to the 10-minute procedure,” (Charleston). One victim of this lobotomy craze is Howard Dully, a twelve-year-old boy who was given a lobotomy at the behest of his stepmother who wanted him to be quieter. Dully, who is now fifty-six, says “I've always felt different — wondered if something's missing from my soul,” (My Lobotomy': Howard Dully's Journey). It should be noted that this is the real harm that lobotomies cause to the patients undergoing them, they lose parts of themselves and turn into completely different people. JFK’s sister is also an example of how much people can lose their core identity, Someone who was once a confident and well-liked woman turned into someone who needed care for the remaining sixty years of their life is a tragedy

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