PSYCHOSURGERY FOR THE CONTROL OF VIOLENCE - A CRITICAL REVIEW (FROM NEURAL BASES OF VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSION, 1975, BY W S FIELDS AND W H SWEET - SEE NCJ-57520)

• NCJ Number: 57526
• Author(s): P R BREGGIN
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 29 pages
• Corporate Author: Warren H Green, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS ARTICLE FROM A SYMPOSIUM ON NEURAL BASES OF VIOLENCE REVIEWS THE HISTORY OF THE TECHNIQUES OF LOBOTOMY AND AMYGDALOTOMY, AND ADVOCATES THE CESSATION OF THEIR USE UNTIL A LINK BETWEEN BRAIN DAMAGE AND VIOLENCE IS PROVEN.

Abstract

THE USE OF PSYCHOSURGERY TO DESTROY BRAIN TISSUE IN A PACIFYING OPERATION IS PERCEIVED AS TOTALITARIANISM BASED ON TECHNOLOGICAL INTIMIDATION. HISTORICAL INFORMATION IS PROVIDED ON THE INITIAL USES OF THE LOBOTOMY TO CONTROL VIOLENT PATIENTS, AND ANECDOTES DESCRIBE THE PASSIVE, DOCILE, AND DISORIENTED BEHAVIOR OF PATIENTS AFTER THE OPERATION. THE NEWER FORMS OF LOBOTOMY AND PSYCHOSURGERY, SUCH AS OPERATIONS ON THE THALAMUS WHEN THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF BRAIN DAMAGE, AND AMYGDALOTOMY (PARTICULARLY POPULAR IN EUROPE), CONDUCTED TO PACIFY VIOLENT PATIENTS, ARE AS UNSUPPORTED BY EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OF THEIR BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES AS THE EARLY LOBOTOMIES. NO STUDIES OF THESE OPERATIONS HAVE EVER BEEN DONE USING A CONTROL GROUP. A BOOK WRITTEN BY TWO PSYCHOSURGEONS WHO ADVOCATE WIDE-SCALE SCREENING AND TREATMENT FOR BRAIN DAMAGE PRESENTS VIRTUALLY NO EVIDENCE THAT VIOLENCE IS CONNECTED TO BRAIN DAMAGE, NO REVIEW OF RESEARCH ON AMYGDALOTOMY, AND NO DISCUSSION OF PSYCHOSURGERY IN GENERAL. THIS TREND TOWARDS PSYCHOSURGERY, IT IS CONCLUDED, MAKES ALL CITIZENS POTENTIAL VICTIMS OF ONE LARGE THERAPEUTIC STATE DOMINATED BY TECHNOLOGY. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (TWK)