Discuss the effectiveness of psychosurgery (10)

• Para1: some evidence supports it’s effectiveness

  P: modern psychosurgery shows some promise as an effective treatment for certain severe mental disorders.

  E: cosgrove and rauch (2001) found cingulotomy to be effective in 56% of OCD cases and capsulotomy in 67%, while cingulotomy helped 65% of patients with major affective disorders. Similarly, Mayberg et Al. (2005) showed that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) significantly improved symptoms in 4 out of 6 patients with severe depression.

  E: these results suggest that for treatment-resistant cases, especially in OCD and depression, psychosurgery may offer relief where other therapies have failed.

  L: therefore, psychosurgery can be seen as effective in some extreme cases, particularly when used as a last resort treatment
• Para2: limited by ethical + methodological concerns

  P: despite some success rates, the effectiveness of psychosurgery is limited due to its ethical and methodological issues.

  E: the irreversible nature of the procedure and potential side effects, such as emotional blunting or cognitive impairment, raise serious concerns. Moreover, the rarity of its use (only around 25 cases per year in the US) means sample sizes are small and controlled trials are unfeasible (Bridges et al. 1994).

  E: additionally, critics like Szasz (1978) argue that treating the “mind” with surgery on the brain is philosophically flawed, as psychological problems may not be rooted in physical brain abnormalities

  L: this weakens the overall reliability and appropriateness of psychosurgery as a widely applicable treatment
• Conclusion

  While modern psychosurgery has shown some success in extreme cases of OCD and depression, it’s invasive nature, limited application, and ethical concerns mean it cannot be considered an effective or appropriate mainstream treatment for mental illness. Its use remains controversial and should be restricted to rare, treatment-resistant cases.