Podcst
    Sign in

    #502 – Psychiatry, Insane Asylums, Mental Illness, ECT, Lobotomies, Freud & Jung

    Lex Fridman Podcast

    Lex Fridman

    September 17, 2026

    Show Notes

    Andrew Scull is a historian of psychiatry.
    Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep502-sc
    See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

    Transcript:
    https://lexfridman.com/andrew-scull-transcript

    CONTACT LEX:
    Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey
    AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama
    Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring
    Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact

    EPISODE LINKS:
    Andrew’s Website (UCSD faculty page): https://sociology.ucsd.edu/people/faculty/emeritus/andrew-scull.html
    Desperate Remedies (book): https://amzn.to/4vmBquI
    Madness in Civilization (book): https://amzn.to/3SZhd0I

    SPONSORS:
    To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
    Wispr Flow: AI-powered voice dictation app.
    Go to https://wisprflow.ai/lex
    Fin: AI agent for customer service.
    Go to https://fin.ai/lex
    LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
    Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex
    Shopify: Sell stuff online.
    Go to https://shopify.com/lex
    BetterHelp: Online therapy and counseling.
    Go to https://betterhelp.com/lex
    Perplexity: AI-powered answer engine.
    Go to https://perplexity.ai/

    OUTLINE:
    ()– Introduction
    ()– Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
    ()– Crisis in Psychiatry
    ()– Categories of Mental Illness
    ()– Asylums, Eugenics, and the Nazis
    ()– The Ice Pick Lobotomy
    ()– Malaria “Cure” for Syphilis
    ()– Insulin Coma Therapy
    ()– Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
    ()– One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
    ()– Freud and Psychoanalysis
    ()– WWII and Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
    ()– Antipsychotics
    ()– Antidepressants
    ()– Future of Psychiatry

    PODCAST LINKS:
    – Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast
    – Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr
    – Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
    – RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/
    – Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4
    – Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lexclips

    #502 – Psychiatry, Insane Asylums, Mental Illness, ECT, Lobotomies, Freud & Jung — Podcst