New treatment for depression

[Lady's Human]

Why would you need a surgeon? How many stories have been in the news lately about plastic surgery performed by unqualified people?

[pomtzu]

Why would you need a surgeon? How many stories have been in the news lately about plastic surgery performed by unqualified people?

True, but I'd say that's a wee bit different than drilling holes in someone's head and placing electrodes who knows where in the brain. The patient would be dead rather than high. Nope - I just don't see it happening.

[Lady's Human]

In the case of plastic surgery, the patients are frequently dead rather than having a bigger/smaller whatever.

[pomtzu]

In the case of plastic surgery, the patients are frequently dead rather than having a bigger/smaller whatever.

True, but if I was forced by some strange circumstance to choose one or the other, I'd opt for someone stuffing silicone somewhere, rather than having holes drilled in my skull.

[moosmom]

AMEN Ellie!!!

LH,

Yeah, there are some people who are desperate enough to drink after shave, mouth wash, etc. But I'm with Ellie. If I were to go under the knife, it'll be for a little lipo, not having holes drilled in my head.

[Catty1]

Severe depression and other mental conditions are known to be due to a physical cause - too little of, too much of or an imbalance in brain chemicals.

Some people with severe diabetes have had surgery where islets are put into their liver, and they are cured.

Heart disease often requires surgical intervention, mild or severe.

If surgery is a last resort for any condition, I am all for it.

We're not talking the blues here, or treatable depression - we are talking about a condition severe enough that crippled Guyton her whole life. In Canada, Parkinson's patients under the age of 65 can have a surgical implant to greatly alleviate their symptoms. That's a brain chemical lack - dopamine - that produces obvious physical symptoms. I guess that makes it a "real" disease, unlike the brain chemicals that produce "only" emotional symptoms.

I'll be glad when surgical treatment for mental conditions is accorded the same respect as surgery for other conditions. As Karen said, there are risks to any surgery. I hope mental health treatments are allowed out of the dark ages soon.

[smokey the elder]

I agree. I think with the new functional MRI and other brain imaging techniques, medicine might finally be able to get a grip on mental illness, its causes, and specific drug targets to treat it. Electrode implants have been used now for several indications, but they are a last resort as they are in fact brain surgery!

On the "abuse" angle, a book came out almost 40 years ago called The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton: VERY far ahead of its time!