HAVING electrodes implanted in your brain is a drastic measure, but for many people with Parkinson’s disease, deep brain stimulation offers a new lease of life. Tens of thousands have been successfully treated, and DBS is now being lined up to treat depression and alcohol dependence. Given how much misery and death these cause, let’s hope DBS is as successful here as for Parkinson’s.
DBS could have an even more profound impact on mental health. Mental illnesses are normally diagnosed using checklists of symptoms, but many psychiatrists would like to move towards biologically based diagnosis instead. With DBS research helping to pin down the brain networks affected in depression, such diagnoses are coming closer. Psychiatry needs a revolution. DBS could help spark it.