First published in 1999. This book contains the thirteenth volume in the nineteen-volume series: Abnormal and Clinical Psychology - part of The International Library of Psychology. This study has moved into an examination of the influence of social environmental factors upon the postoperative course of psychosurgical patients. An appendix is included giving the status of the patients included in the first project, two years after their operation. Additional, still later, material on these cases is included in the first chapter, which brings our information up-to-date at the time of going to press.
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. » Professor Bart Nuttin « 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. » Professor Marwan Hariz
First published in 1985, Ethical Issues in Psychosurgery examines the continuing debate surrounding the treatment of psychiatric disorder by psychosurgery and its ethical implications. Psychosurgery represents a radical treatment and it therefore raises, in a particularly acute and challenging fashion, questions which are implicit In most therapy. The book offers a focussed study in bioethics, a model for bioethical inquiry, as well as introduction to some of the major problems in bioethics. These range from detailed discussions of informed consent, the sanctity of the brain, and the use of experimental therapies, to wider questions of social contract and professionalization. John Kleinig's balanced and informed treatment of the questions will make this book invaluable not only to those concerned with the philosophy of legal and medical ethics, but also to those in the fields of psychiatric practice and research.
First published in 1985, Ethical Issues in Psychosurgery examines the continuing debate surrounding the treatment of psychiatric disorder by psychosurgery and its ethical implications. Psychosurgery represents a radical treatment and it therefore raises, in a particularly acute and challenging fashion, questions which are implicit In most therapy. The book offers a focussed study in bioethics, a model for bioethical inquiry, as well as introduction to some of the major problems in bioethics. These range from detailed discussions of informed consent, the sanctity of the brain, and the use of experimental therapies, to wider questions of social contract and professionalization. John Kleinig’s balanced and informed treatment of the questions will make this book invaluable not only to those concerned with the philosophy of legal and medical ethics, but also to those in the fields of psychiatric practice and research.
Of all the therapies that comprise psychiatric practice, the use of brain surgery to modify behaviour is the most contentious. That such behavioural neuro surgery, or psychosurgery, provokes opposition is far from surprising. The paramount status of the brain seems to belie mechanical intervention. The irreversible nature of the intervention seems to aggravate the outrage. Thus, opponents of the practice contend that psychosurgical procedures constitute a grievous assault on the integrity of the personality. Its proponents, on the other hand, confidently testify that it is a valid and efficacious form of treat ment for many seemingly intractable psychiatric disorders. Argument and counterargument have pursued the practice since its initial upsurge in the 1940s, although the decline in its popularity in the 1960s occasioned a tem porary cease-fire. However, the recent resurgence of psychosurgery has ensured that it is once again a matter of controversy. In the United Kingdom the characteristically subdued tenor of the debate frequently obscures the popularity of the practice and the commitment of its opposition. A recent application by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to the Medical Research Council for funds to mount a large controlled trial of psychosurgical procedures was turned down. Several opposition lobbyists might claim some credit for the proposal's lack of success. The Schizophrenia Association of Great Bri tain clearly and publicly expressed their disapproval of the trial. The Patient's Protection Law Committee presented Parliament with a petition condemning the Royal College's submission.
