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Psychosurgery: description and outcome study of a regional service

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

A. Butler
Affiliation:
Mental Health Social Work, University of Leeds
A. K. Coughlan
Affiliation:
St James's and Seacroft Trust Leeds
P. Trigwell
Affiliation:
Leeds Regional Training Scheme, Leeds Community by and Mental Health Services
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Abstract

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The report indicates that a psychosurgery service can be established on a regional basis. The outcome study of the Yorkshire Regional Psychosurgery Service indicates that the treatment should retain a place in the treatment of patients who have failed to respond to other available approaches. For such patients (and their carers) life is a state of persisting torment. Some psychiatrists consider psychosurgery as a procedure not to be countenanced, or outmoded, but patients have a right to know what may be achieved by the treatment and at what cost in terms of possible failure to improve and adverse effects. An audit of the Regional Psychosurgery Service indicates a favourable result of the Intervention. All patients improved to some extent, some very remarkably, and no adverse effects were encountered.

Type
Audit
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Footnotes

1

The videotape demonstration is available from: P. Wiehl, Media Resource Officer, Postgraduate Medical Centre, Pinderfields Hospitals Trust, Aberford Road, Wakefield WF1 4DG (for further details telephone: 01924 212517).

2

Full information on psychometric tests, their results and their references available on request (send A4 stamped addressed envelope to RPS).

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