[GovernmentShrinker]

I've never seen any of the fictional movies which have featured characters who'd supposedly had lobotomies. What I have seen is interviews with real people who were subjected to lobotomies to control their "immoral" behavior (some gay, some "promiscuous" heterosexuals -- which in some cases simply meant a young woman who chose to have sex while unmarried). It worked -- they were no longer interested in any kind of sex, nor did they have much drive to do anything. I'm not a neurologist, but "lobotomy" is a catch-all term for a general type of procedure, which can vary substantially in terms of scope and location. Needless to say, with modern technology and knowledge, outcomes such as Rosemary Kennedy got would be rare to non-existent.

[Tonysgirl]

Modern technology or not it just seems cruel.

Hope she finds happiness and peace in heaven.

[Restorer]

You are very correct about "lobotomy" being a catch-all term. The effects can be apparently quite minimal or obviously extremely severe.

[Tevin]

Needless to say, with modern technology and knowledge, outcomes such as Rosemary Kennedy got would be rare to non-existent.

---

Unfortunately not. I just read an LA Times article about lobotomies being performed on intractable OCD cases and the like. About 38% of the patients are improved while the remainder are "unchanged" or worse off.

[miss marmelstein]

Excellent points! Tennessee Williams' mentally ill sister also acted out in a sexual manner so her mother had her lobotomized. Half of Mr. Williams' plays deal with this horror!