Neuromodulation for Psychiatric Disorders

Psychiatric disorders are among the leading causes of severe and long-term disability worldwide, decreasing the quality of life of individuals and families. Moreover, they induce an enormous economic burden on societies. Current treatment modalities for patients with psychiatric disorders include drug therapy and/or psychotherapy. However, these treatment modalities do not produce sufficient therapeutic effects in some patients or induce intolerable side-effects. While several modalities of neuromodulation have been suggested and tried for these disorders, deep brain stimulation (DBS) is perhaps the most widely studied to date. Here, we will review the clinical data and thinking on DBS for treating the major psychiatric disorders and will organize it based on whether it is currently considered clinically accepted or experimental.