How an unsuccessful suicide gave a 19-year-old British man a new life

People with mental disorders are often suicidal. Some people make one attempt to die after another until they achieve their goal. A 19-year-old British resident named George, who suffered from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, also decided to voluntarily leave this world. He did not even suspect that for him suicide would not be the end of everything, but, on the contrary, the beginning.

In 1983, 19-year-old George decided that his life had no meaning. The young man had a whole “bouquet” of mental disorders, among which the most painful was a severe form of microphobia. The young man was terrified of germs, which is why he endlessly washed his hands and took showers.

George visited doctors several times and underwent several courses of treatment. Unfortunately, none of them brought the slightest relief. Problems forced the guy to leave school. He tried to find a job, but because of his diagnosis, employers turned him down.

The young man often thought about taking his own life, but did not dare to take such a radical action. The impetus was given to him by his own mother, who once said in her hearts: “Your life is worthless. You can just go and shoot yourself.” After this, George took a .22 caliber pistol, went down to the basement of his house and shot himself in the mouth.

Oddly enough, the wound was not fatal. The guy's mother called the rescue service, and the guy was taken to the hospital in extremely serious condition. There, George underwent urgent surgery to remove the bullet lodged inside his skull. It turned out that she almost completely destroyed the left frontal lobe of the brain.

After surgery, the guy had a long recovery. At the same time, he felt that cardinal changes had occurred to him. His painful phobias and obsessive thoughts disappeared without a trace. When George reported this to the doctors, they decided to study this phenomenon in detail. It soon became clear that the bullet destroyed exactly that part of the brain in which the young man’s problem lay hidden.

Fortunately, the disappearance of mental illness was the only consequence of the shot. George's intellect, sensory organs, and motor skills were completely unaffected. A few months after the “failed” suicide, he felt so well that he went to college. It is known that he successfully completed it and began to live like millions of other healthy people.

This story seems like fiction, but it is absolutely real. In the 80s, it was published by many reputable publications, including The New York Times. Scientists believe that the guy is incredibly lucky. Firstly, he survived, and secondly, the bullet performed a kind of lobotomy. This gruesome operation was often performed in the 20th century to relieve mentally ill patients of their illnesses. But the result was extremely rarely as successful as in the case of George.