Discover more from InstiWitty Media Studios
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Get a free website for your business and get online in minutes*
Once upon a time, “mental health care” meant sticking an ice pick through your eye socket. In the 1940s, Dr. Walter Freeman became famous for performing what he called the “transorbital lobotomy” — a “miracle procedure” for almost any emotional distress. After rendering patients unconscious (often with electroshock therapy), he’d insert a pick-like instrument above the eyeball, tap it into the brain with a mallet, and sever the connection between the prefrontal cortex and thalamus to “calm” the patient’s emotions.
Tens of thousands of Americans underwent this procedure before psychiatric meds existed — many left docile, dazed, or even physically disabled. The practice gradually fell off in the 1950s, when antidepressants, antipsychotics, and other medications were invented, ultimately proving to be much more effective in treating mentally ill individuals.
So, how would you have fared in the golden age of the lobotomy? You might be surprised just how easy it was to qualify. Take this quiz ― fully based on the 1940s real-life lobotomy criteria ― to find out if vintage psychiatry would’ve picked you for the ice-pick treatment (Don’t worry, no mallets involved.)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

InstiWitty is a digital media brand blending entertainment, internet trends, and culture. We produce engaging, witty content that sparks curiosity, fuels conversations, and rides the pulse of what’s trending. Think smart storytelling with a viral edge.
Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

