Making lesions in the brain to relieve the distress of mental illness has had a checkered career due to a mixture of misuse and also caution about making permanent lesions in the brain where there was no physical abnormality. However, over the last 10 years a more flexible approach has developed. The method is still in its infancy and very little used. However, GKNS has been shown to be useful for OCD and also some cases of sever anxiety. It has been attempted for depression and anorexia nervosa but at present its role for these conditions remains to be determined.
Keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Anxiety; Capsulotomy; Depression; Leucotomy; Obsessive compulsive disorder; Psychosurgery; Tractotomy.
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