Afr J Psychiatry
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Neurosurgical interventions date back to ancient civilization, 5100 BC through a practice known as trephination. Due to past abuse and ethical considerations, neurosurgical interventions in psychiatry remain a controversial issue. ⋯ S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its approval for vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) for the management of treatment-resistant depression in 2005 and deep brain stimulation (DBS) for refractory obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) in 2009. These invasive but non destructive techniques represent the future of neurosurgery for mental disorder.