The Approach to the Psychiatric Patient: Case-Based Essays

Brain stimulation - focally applying electricity to the brain - is a field with a rapidly expanding and promising array of techniques, which already have proven efficacy in treating conditions ranging from Parkinson's disease to chronic and acute pain to depression. Comprehensively surveying the landscape of current practice, provides a clear and straightforward analysis of the many therapeutic applications, along with the technologies and techniques involved in each. The book begins with a thoughtful, and occasionally macabre, history of electrical stimulation of the brain. The authors then provide an accessible and concise overview of electricity and its effects on the brain. The essence of the book, though, is its thorough exploration of the clinical applications of electrical stimulation. Brain Stimulation Therapies covers the wide range of existing electrical stimulation therapies, including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and a host of other clinical applications. Each chapter examines a particular therapy, including its history, an overview of the techniques involved, its clinical indications, side effects, and a critical review of the literature surrounding its efficacy. It is an essential reference for any clinician, or even potential patient, interested in understanding electrical stimulation as therapy.