Not to say it was right, but lobotomies were thought to be therapeutic in the olden days. Much what was science back then has been debunked as we progress.
I read that Old Joe had the lobotomy performed on Rosemary without his wife's knowledge. Reprehensible in my opinion. No wonder the kids thought the world of their mother. The father treated her shabbily his whole life.
Unfortunately, she didn't need therapy. She was an embarassment to him and that did not fit into his plans.