Question

In 1935, the most likely treatment for a man who had been hospitalized for intense paranoia, disorganized speech patterns, and hallucinations of secret agents would have been

A. severing his frontal lobes from other parts of his brain.
B. administering multiple doses of typical neuroleptics.
C. prescribing tricyclic medications.
D. providing months of intensive psychotherapy.

Answer 1

In 1935, the treatment for intense paranoia and hallucinations was likely a prefrontal lobotomy, which involved severing connections in the frontal lobes (option A), before the advent of neuroleptics and other drugs in the 1950s.

Step-by-step explanation:

In 1935, the most likely treatment for a man who had been hospitalized for intense paranoia, disorganized speech patterns, and hallucinations of secret agents would have been severing his frontal lobes from other parts of his brain, a procedure known as a prefrontal lobotomy. At that time, this was a psychiatric practice used to treat various mental disorders, including mood disorders and psychoses, by disconnecting the prefrontal cortex from other regions of the brain.



This drastic method was thought to manage uncontrollable behaviors and to alter a patient's mood and personality. Antipsychotic drugs, known as neuroleptics, and other treatments such as tricyclic medications, intensive psychotherapy, and some other pharmacological interventions became more common in later years, especially after the 1950s. The prefrontal lobotomy fell out of practice due to the advent of these newer treatments and a growing awareness of its often severe and detrimental side effects.