Deep brain stimulation (DBS) involves neurosurgical placement of two brain electrodes that can influence brain network activity. DBS is proven to be effective for obsessive-compulsive disorder, and shows promise for depression, addiction and anorexia. However, DBS is almost never applied in psychiatry. Application rate of DBS in psychiatry is a factor 1000 lower than in neurology, while the number of eligible patients and the effects are comparable. If the application of DBS in psychiatry would increase, more patients and their loved ones could benefit from DBS’s beneficial effects. It has never been studied why DBS is not applied in psychiatry. In this research we study the barriers and facilitators of implementation of DBS together with all stakeholders, in order to improve application in psychiatry. To this end, we also investigate whether we can personalize the selection of patients and the technique of DBS

More information