How Does Psychosurgery Work?

Psychosurgery is a type of surgery in which brain physiology is attempted to be altered by severing connections between the areas involved in the abnormal function or behavioral states of some intractable mental disorders.

How is psychosurgery done?

Psychosurgery is a collaboration between psychiatrists and neurosurgeons. During the operation, which is carried out under a general anaesthetic and using stereotactic methods, a small piece of brain is destroyed or removed.

What is the purpose of psychosurgery in psychiatric treatment?

Psychosurgery is a type of surgical ablation or disconnection of brain tissue with the intent to alter affective or cognitive states caused by mental illness. Psychosurgery was first introduced as a treatment for severe mental illness by Egas Moniz in 1936.