Australian woman battling depression undergoes first psychiatric surgery in Mumbai; check details

By Team Newsable | First Published Jun 25, 2023, 6:02 PM IST

According to the new Act, a psychosurgery can be performed only when the patient provides informed permission and a specially organised state mental health board approves it. Previously, such proposals would be considered by a hospital board.

A 38-year-old Australian woman who had been suffering depression for 26 years became the first person in Mumbai--and maybe India--to have a psychiatric procedure since the Mental Healthcare Act was implemented in 2017.

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For the Australian patient, the procedure of approaching neurosurgeon Paresh Doshi, obtaining state clearances, and having surgery on May 28 took 10 months.

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Speaking to a news agency, Doshi, who performed the surgery at Jaslok Hospital said, "Maharashtra has not only been ahead of many other states in setting up a mental health board, it has now become the first to give permission for a surgery."

It is reportedly said that some individuals with depression are offered Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery as a last option, in which electrodes are inserted in the brain to modify the neural pathways. DBS is used to treat a variety of neurological diseases, including Parkinson's disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression.

It can be seen that depression is the most common mental health problem, with some studies pegging the incidence at 15 percent of the population. According to various reports, about a third of them have depression that is resistant to various forms of treatment.

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According to the patient, who did not want to be named, has been battling depression for 26 years and had tried various combinations of antidepressants and therapies over the years. Though the patient is a trained occupational therapist, she stopped going out for work seven years back.

It is reportedly said that the patient had tried as many as 20 different antidepressants and was prescribed at least five medicines in very high doses than usual. She also had undergone ECT, cognitive and behavioural therapy.

"It will take a few months for the surgery's effects to show clearly," the doctor said. On Friday, the patient and her brother left India for Melbourne. Dr J Reddy from NIMHANS, Bengaluru, said the rules of the new Mental Healthcare Act have been set up to safeguard a patient's interest and ensure he or she doesn't undergo an unnecessary procedure.

For the past 30 years, DBS has been utilised to treat neurological disorders. However, it was only in the last decade that it was utilised to treat mental disorders. Dr. Doshi, who has performed over 500 DBS procedures, stated that research from throughout the world have showed promising benefits in depression.

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