ROCHESTER, Minn. — Pioneering therapeutic trials to investigate
the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in hard-to-
treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and
Tourette's syndrome are underway at multiple medical centers
around the world, according to a review in the June 2009 issue
of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. "Deep brain stimulation has long
been seen as valuable for controlling movement disorders,"
according to the review, written by Susannah Tye, Ph.D., Mark
Frye, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic Department of Psychiatry and
Psychology, and Kendall Lee, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Department
of Neurosurgery. "It now is being investigated for hard-to-treat
psychiatric disorders," according to the authors. "Early results
indicate the effect on depression and obsessive compulsive
disorder is beneficial, but the therapy needs further study,"
Dr. Lee says. The potential for this breakthrough treatment is
enormous in reducing the toll of mental illness on patients,
their families and society, accor