Psychosurgery: New techniques for brain disorders

Abstract

Psychosurgery, or the surgical treatment of mental disorders, has enjoyed a spectacular revival over the past ten years as new brain stimulation techniques have become available. Neuromodulation offers new possibilities for the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), addiction, eating disorders and autism. This work presents the history of this unique specialty and investigates current techniques and ethical challenges. With a wealth of illustrations and detailed anatomical diagrams, it provides essential information for medical practitioners, as well as anyone else interested in the fascinating advances being made in neuroscience today. I like the book as it provides a very nice overview of psycho- surgery in general. It is easy to understand for any (para)medical practitioner, but even specialists in the field may learn new things. They may also enjoy looking the well-known and less-known figures which illustrate the book. Reading this book is like reading an anthology, or rather an encyclopaedia of the field of psychiatric surgery, spanning more than a century. This is a work with an unprecedented degree of erudition and knowledge, and the subject is presented in a didactic, scholar, and scientific manner, and is extensively referenced and illustrated. If only one book is to be read by anybody interested in this field, regardless of specialty, this is The Book to read.