Evaluation of Psychosurgery

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Evaluation of Psychosurgery

Advantages

  • Cosgrove and Rauch found that bilateral cingulotomy was effective in 65% of patients suffering from major affective disorder (depression/bipolar) and 56% of patients suffering from OCD,
  • Mayberg et al found that 4 out of 6 patients with severe depression had their symptoms dramatically reduced after having deep brain stimulation.
  • Moniz found a 70% success rate for patients suffering from schizophrenia and anxiety.
  • The Mental Health Act (1983) states that patient's consent is now required for psychosuregery.

Disadvantages

  • There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that prefrontal lobotomies had any effect on psychological disorders.
  • Symptoms are treated rather than the underlying cause of a psychological disorder.
  • Prefrontal lobotomies had a fatality of 6% (Comer).
  • Patients suffered physical harm during prefrontal lobotomies as well as being at risk from a range of irreversible side effects such as seizures and a lack of responsiveness. Although modern psychosurgery is less controversial, it could be argued that similar ethical issues still apply.
  • Prefrontal lobotomies became used as a means of dealing with 'difficult' mental patients or people in society.
  • Informed consent was not always given, especially from patients with severe psychological disorders.

Evaluation

Psychosurgery is unethical is prefrontal lobotomies became a means of dealing with 'difficult' mental patients or people in society. Therefore, informed consent was not always given, especially from children or patients with severe psychological disorders. However, the Mental Health Act (1983) states that patient's consent is now required for psychosurgery.

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