psychosurgery

[sahy-koh-sur-juh-ree]

noun

1. treatment of mental disorders by means of brain surgery.

psychosurgery

/ ˌsaɪkəʊˈsɜːdʒɪkəl, ˌsaɪkəʊˈsɜːdʒərɪ /

noun

1. any surgical procedure on the brain, such as a frontal lobotomy, to relieve serious mental disorders

Other Word Forms

• psychosurgeon noun
• psychosurgical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychosurgery¹

First recorded in 1935–40; psycho- + surgery

Example Sentences

Nonetheless, as the “Johnny Appleseed of psychosurgery,” he barnstormed around the country like an evangelist, visiting asylums and touting lobotomies as a miracle cure.

From Washington Post

Women made up 75 percent of the patients receiving such “psychosurgery” from Walter Freeman and James Watts, two prominent U.S. practitioners.

From Washington Post

They wrote a book about the success of what they call the psychosurgery, and they talked about lots of case studies.

From Salon

The fascination with psychedelic drugs, psychosurgery, brain-stimulation devices, intravenous infusions, etc., is symptomatic of the current mental health crisis.

From New York Times

Initially shocked that his method of pacifying a chimpanzee had been applied to humans, Fulton later became a proponent of psychosurgery.

From Scientific American