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Psychiatric Neurosurgery

November 30, 2009

The New York Times reports on the hopes and concerns surrounding new brain surgery techniques.

The Food and Drug Administration this year approved a new brain surgery technique for some cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Though the strict criteria would only apply to a select group of people, millions living with other severe conditions ultimately may turn to similar operations as the techniques become less experimental.

While during the last 10 years more than 500 medical studies on brain surgeries in people living with illnesses such as major depression have had promising results, some psychiatrists and medical ethicists are raising concerns that doctors still do not know much about the complexities of the brain and the results of these surgeries can vary greatly.

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