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Based on

Age

Gender

Mental status

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Wanted them to be quiet and respectful

Female stereotypes

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(F)ailing women in psychiatry: lessons from a painful past

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In August 2017, data released by the US National Center for Health Statistics, a government agency affiliated with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made the evening news, igniting an urgent conversation about women’s mental health. The data, spanning 1975 to 2015, showed that suicide rates among women aged 15 to 19 years had hit a 40-year high.1 Equally alarming? Between 2007 and 2015, suicide rates among this female demographic had doubled in the United States.1 As medical professionals seek to understand possible causes for these disturbing shifts — cyberbullying and Netflix’s controversial series, 13 Reasons Why, have already been identified — we urge the medical community to take a broader view that includes history. Looking to the past will not reveal straightforward answers, but it can elucidate patterns to better inform how we understand the current crisis and effect meaningful change.

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How did they start

Where

When

Why

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What is the procedure

How is it done

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In the 20th Century , doctors misdiagnosed women with mental illnesses due to sexism in the medical field, which led to unnecessary lobotomies.

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In the 20th Century , doctors misdiagnosed women with mental illnesses due to sexism in the medical field, which led to unnecessary lobotomies.

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Dibdin, Emma, and Marc S. Lener, MD. "The Controversial History of the Lobotomy." PsychCentral, 6 May 2022, psychcentral.com/blog/the-surprising-history-of-the-lobotomy#purpose.

Faria Jr., Miguel A. "Violence, mental illness, and the brain – A brief history of psychosurgery: Part 1 – From trephination to lobotomy." National Library of Medicine , 5 Apr. 2013, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3640229/.

Koziol, Mary. "Diagnosing Womanhood: Lessons Learned from Gender Bias in 20th Century Psychiatry." www.mcgill.ca/library/files/library/koziol_mary_2016.pdf.

Freeman M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P., Walter, and James W. Watts, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.I.C.S.. Psychosurgery: In The Treatment Of Mental Disorders And Intractable Pain. Charles C. Thomas, 1950.

Tone, Andrea, and Mary Koziol. “(F)ailing women in psychiatry: lessons from a painful past.” CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne vol. 190,20 (2018): E624-E625. doi:10.1503/cmaj.171277

Balch, Bridget. "Why we know so little about women’s health." Association of American Medical Colleges, 26 Mar. 2024, www.aamc.org/news/why-we-know-so-little-about-women-s-health.

"A Brief History of Mental Health Treatment for Women." Bay Area Clinical Associates, 19 Mar. 2025, baca.org/blog/history-mental-health-treatment-women/.

Cohut Ph.D., Maria, and Matt Ng. "The controversy of 'female hysteria'." Medical News Today, Healthline Media UK, 13 Oct. 2020, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/the-controversy-of-female-hysteria.

Ghaemi, Nikki. "A ‘moral monster’ and the lobotomy’s legacy at GW ." The GW Hatchet, 11 Dec. 2023, gwhatchet.com/2023/12/11/a-moral-monster-and-the-lobotomys-legacy-at-gw/.

"History of the Women’s Health Movement in the 20th Century." JOGNN, 2000, www.jognn.org/article/S0884-2175(15)33790-4/fulltext. Volume 29, Issue 1.

"Rosemary Kennedy, The Eldest Kennedy Daughter." National Park Services , www.nps.gov/articles/000/rosemary-kennedy-the-eldest-kennedy-daughter.htm. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

"Women And Hysteria In The History Of Mental Health." National Library of Medicine, 7 Aug. 2012, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3480686/.

"The Lobotomist." American Experience , PBS, 21 Jan. 2008, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/lobotomist/#film_description. Transcript.