Mental Illness: GAD - Depression – Lobotomies
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We Have Come a Long Way Since Lobotomies with Ice-Picks
Having suffered from G.A.D. and depression, as well as my sisters having suffered from various mental illnesses, I have found a deep interest in it over the years. I guess you could consider it a calling to learn more about it. I guess it's easier not to fear something if it's not so unknown anymore.
This was a journey that lasted a couple of years. Information on mental illness was gathered throughout this span of time. I have included a number of links to separate pages for more information, but it is all information that I have personal gathered over time.
If you take anything away from this, I hope that you take away the fact that mental illness is no different than any other illness. It doesn't make you a bad person. It doesn't make you weak. It doesn't make you any less of a person.
Photo Credit Dreamstime.com
James Watts and Walter Freeman
Performing a Frontal Lobotomy
Although, there are still far too many stigmas about mental illness, we have come a long way since the days of doctors traveling from "asylum" to "asylum" to perform lobotomies with flippin' ice picks (no joke).
This was the pair that performed the lobotomy on Rosemary Kennedy.
Thank you to Discover Magazine for the photo
Watch the PBS Special - American Experience: The Lobotomist
Articles about Dr. Walter Freeman
He was the Lobotomist of Lobotomies
- The Cuckoo Surgeon Who Did Ice-Pick Lobotomies
- The patient is unconscious; an ice pick protrudes from each eye socket. When the doctor steps back to take a photograph, one of the ice picks slips. The patient's life ends in that instant. The doctor, unfazed, moves along to his next demonstration.
- Lobotomy Gets Them Home
- Dr. Freeman traveled around to give lobotomies (lobotomobile). He had been to Old Western State Sanitarium also known as Hill Ward which is in Tacoma, Washington.
- 3,500 Lobotomies
- Ghost Adventures visits Trans-Alleheny~
Among the many so-called treatments patients at Trans-Allegheny endured, the most invasive was the "ice pick lobotomy." Perfected, as it were, by Dr. Walter Freeman -- a neurologist with no surgical training -- the procedure was completed without anesthesia. Patients were instead given electroconvulsive therapy, which rendered them unconscious. At this point, Freeman would insert an actual ice pick between the eyeball and eyelid, hammering it through the eye socket.
Mentall Illness and You
It's Perfectly Okay if you're not Quite Right...
There are so many people that are walking around at this very moment in a state of panic, depression, or obsession. Yet, they have no idea that what they are feeling is not normal.
For example, being diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (G.A.D.) is no different than being diagnosed with any other illness. Just like any other illness, mental illnessneeds to be treated. When treated correctly and in a timely manner, the chances are very good that you will become better within a couple of weeks. Just like any other illness, if it is not treated it will manifest itself.
It doesn't make you crazy. I get so sick of hearing that word in relation to mental illness. Just like the old term "insane asylum". It is a medical condition. If you are feeling depression, anxiety, or not right then get some help. There is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of.
The few people that have unkind or hurtful things to say about it are just ignorant, and I use that word with its true definition. It doesn't make them bad people; they just don't understand it. It really sucks. I know. The misconceptions about mental illness are directly related to people's ignorance. I believe that is why it is so taboo.
The important thing to consider is that if you have a hard time getting through everyday life and something traumatic happens, what then?
If you already feel so horrible that you cry over stuff that shouldn't bother you, obsess over things that really have no importance, or you panic over small things. What happens when you -for example- lose a loved one? That is unbearable to deal with even when your brain is in balance. If your brain isn't in balance and something horrible happens that is when it can easily get so bad that you might not be able to recover properly.
Photo Credit Dreamstime.com
Your Brain and Depression
Why YOU Should Seek Treatment
Recent research shows that the hippocampus in the brain of people that suffer from depression shrinks. It literally gets smaller. With proper treatment it stops the volume loss in the hippocampus. Now they believe that the correct antidepressants can actually cause the brain to grow new cells in the hippocampus. It is pertinent to seek treatment.
Source: This Emotional Life , Episode 2 - Facing Our Fears
Photo Credit: Dreamstime.com
Mental Illness
My Family and Loved Ones
Looking back at my family - mother, older sister, younger sister, myself - I would swear that mental illness is hereditary.
I am not a doctor. These things I have stated are my opinions. I am not trying to diagnose anyone. I'm just hoping that people will take what I have been through, pull some courage from it, and get the help they need when they need it.
If you are worried about confidentiality, most family doctors are very capable of diagnosing and treating many mental illnesses. It's not something you have to tell anyone and it doesn't always require a specialist.
Another thing is, if you have waited longer than you should to get treatment and you are feeling so bad that you aren't sure you can make it through a day, take the time to pick up the phone and ask family and friends for help. Even if you haven't talked to them in a year there is always someone you can count on.
Having a strong support system helps you stay well when you are well, helps you get better when you aren't well, and helps you stay well once you become well. A support system full of loving individuals is priceless at all times in your life, and it is essential when you are feeling your worst.
The good news is that once you are well, you may not need to take medication all your life. It varies from person to person.
Once you have been diagnosed a mental illness and you feel better again, it is much easier to see the signs in advance. It's hard to see the signs when you don't know what real living is like anymore. When you have been in a certain mental state for years, it seems like the norm. Once you see that light, feel those bricks lift from your shoulders, and there is color to the world again, it is pretty easy to tell when those bad symptoms start creeping back. It is much easier to manage once you are aware of exactly what's wrong.
All of you that are still in a state of denial -such as I was- at least do it for those around you that care for you. It doesn't hurt to make an appointment and go see a doctor.
General Anxiety Disorder
Also Known as GAD
I Survived Suicide
by Summer Banks
- I Survived Suicide
- I am a survivor of suicide. Many years ago my life and emotions had forced me into a place where death seemed to be the only real door to freedom. As I sat on the bathroom floor slicing my arm over and over again, I was sure I would never feel this pain again. Little did I know, the pain would set me free.
Predisposition to Depression
By: Marcelina Hardy
- Predisposition to Depression
- The term that is used for someone who can become depressed but may not have Depression at a given time is, predisposition. Depression usually hits a person when life throws a curve ball. This person may have a harder time handling the stressful event and start to feel hopeless, helpless, sad and then start losing interest in things that they used to enjoy. Not to say that others will not have the same reaction to the same tragic event, but they will have an easier time bouncing back. For those with Depression, it may take medication with a combination of counseling to start feeling better. Medication will actually correct the imbalance in the brain of a depressed individual.
Depression
Some Great Info Regarding this Mental Illness
An American Experience: A Brilliant Madness
~ The Story of John Nash ~
Watch Full Video on Google
Real Men Don't Have Mental Illness
By Sam Priestley
- Real Men Don't Have Mental Illness
- As a man who never got sick and declared he didn't have time for it, a member of my family, who I shan't name, had a hard time accepting that he had a problem. Not only was mental illness a sign of weakness to him, but emotions were particularly tricky and best avoided. They certainly shouldn't be put on display at all. He was like a lot of men, I supposed.
More Than The Baby Blues:
Post Natal Depression By M. Withers
- More Than The Baby Blues
- More than 80% of new mothers will experience the Baby Blues, somewhere between the third and fifth day after giving birth. With a little bit of understanding and support, these baby blues usually pass within a few days. Symptoms that a mother is experiencing the Baby Blues include irritability, moods, anxiety, crying and general emotional distress.
Post Partum
Depression
Half a Century with Bipolar Disorder
By Rochelle Cashdan
- Half a Century with Bipolar Disorder
- Can someone with bipolar disorder survive the illness for fifty years?
I know the answer is yes, even though the cards were stacked against me. My mental illness started half a century ago but was only recognized and treated thirty-five years ago, meaning terrible times in those fifteen years in between.
Bipolar Disorder
Mental Illness Harms Family and Friends
By E. Beidleman
- Mental Illness Harms Family and Friends
- Someday, hopefully in the near future, someone will find the key to the system's imbalance. I firmly believe that the problem is basically physical, and that the "mental" disorders spring from the mind's attempts to struggle against an unconquerable disease. It's a pitiful struggle to watch. Imagine what it must be like to know that there's something horribly wrong with you, and to believe that you have to hide it from the world. It would consume every thought, every moment, and every breath.
Living With OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
by S.A. Holt
- Living With OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
- When I was eleven or twelve, I started using moisturizer on my hands because I washed them so much. They would get red and cracked around the knuckles, and it would hurt to hold a pencil. My mother never said anything about it, and I wonder now, since we never discussed my peculiarities, if she recognized what was starting and thought that acceptance was the best way of dealing with it.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
OCD
Suicide An Eternal Pain
by Amanda Evans
- Suicide An Eternal Pain
- Suicide is the one form of death that has quite a stigma attached to it. It brings with it a feeling of shame and betrayal. It is not the same as saying to someone "My father died in a car crash" nor is it the same as saying someone died from a heart attack. Having to explain that someone took their own life can be quite a difficult thing to do as we have no explanation as to why this dreadful occurrence took place.
Schizophrenia
Mental Illness
Depression
Mental Illness
- Depression
- Depression is a very serious matter, which does not discriminate. Depression doe not care what your age is, what gender you are, or even what your race or social class is.
Depression can often make a person feel sad, helpless, hopeless, and irritable. It is normal for people to have these feeling sometimes, but some people cannot just snap out of it and this is the difference between what is normal and major depression. It is the determination and brutality of the emotions that determine the mental illness of depression from normal mood changes.
Breaking Barriers to Recovery:
Guide for Mental Health Consumers by Kate Downs
- Breaking Barriers to Recovery:
- Undergoing treatment for mental illness is often a confusing and disappointing experience. Many patients find themselves seeking care in their darkest hours. Overwhelmed by the severity of their symptoms, too many people put their lives and their mental illness in the hands of professionals and are bewildered when their conditions do not improve.
Mental Illness Talk on Twitter
Do you have anything to share?
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LolliepopxoxO
Dec 22, 2010 @ 1:27 pm | delete
- Hiyaa wow i am so happy i found this lens...I have been suffering with 'a mental illness' for well i dont know actually how long because there have always been symptoms just never got as bad as they have this past year and have only realised this past year that i have a mental illness! I have anxiety atacks all the time thinking i am dying and also have been told by so many people i have ocd...it actually breaks my heart to hear people say things like that...i know that i have these obsessions with germs and numbers and putting things in order and straight lines but it is hard to hear those comments and also hard for me to accept. I hate the name 'Mental illness' although i am saying it, people stereotype and make out that your crazy! Its so hard to tell someone how I am feeling, these problems do really get me down and a lot of the time make me feel like i dont want to live and feel very hopeless...i feel very down quite a lot and if when i am in a good mood which is quite rare, if someone says something that i dont like i will be down again for days after, is this depression? now i am going to get help for my anxiety but scared to say how i really feel, but hopefully if i tell them how i feel that will help me anxieties and halp me feel happy again! thanks for all the advice on this page...its really made me feel better about myself :D x x
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callinsky
Dec 27, 2010 @ 9:33 pm | delete
- I am soooo glad that you found it. This is probably my favorite article of any that I have written. I hope that you find the strength in yourself to get help from a physician and from your family and friends. In turn you will more than likely be able to help someone in the future because I promise you that you are not the only one you know that struggles with something along these lines.
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CDT
Sep 17, 2010 @ 5:23 am | delete
- I think you're absolutely right when you say "I guess it's easier not to fear something if it's not so unknown anymore" - and that applies equally to those who suffer from any kind of mental illness and to those who don't! I was reading an article only yesterday about Freeman and his ice-pick lobotomies - it sounds hideously barbaric, yet for some it seemed to work...nowadays they just give people "chemical lobotomies" instead - I don't know which is worse...all I know is that raising awareness of mental illness and the reality of what it's like to be a sufferer will go a long way to reducing the stigma and fear attached to it. Blessed by a SquidAngel :)
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pilegirl
Apr 6, 2010 @ 10:34 pm | delete
- Thank you for this informative lens. I am particularly horrified by the ice pick! No wonder people were afraid to admit they had a problem!
Thank goodness these days the treatments are more humane.
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GAD Depression Lobotomies?
by callinsky
Thank you for visiting: GAD - Depression - Lobotomies?
I am no longer ashamed of my mental illness. I truly believe that without my illness I would not...
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