Neurosurgery used to treat mental illnesses has a vast history whose origins date back to the beginning of time. However, psychosurgery, or brain surgery in which one attempts to correct a mental disorder, was not developed until the mid-20th century (Mashour). During this period, lobotomy, an alteration of the nerve tracts of the frontal lobe of the brain, was performed on Americans considered mentally ill. Although many medical professionals at that time supported this practice, there were just as many who were concerned about the use of psychosurgery as a treatment method to alter an individual's brain. This concern stemmed from many cases where the operation was not beneficial to the patient and the questionable level of patient decision making in providing consent to the procedure due to his level of mental deterioration. Despite the negative effects that psychosurgery has had on individuals suffering from psychiatric disorders, it still remains relevant to psychology because its use has now emerged in less harmful and non-invasive therapies. These modernized treatments have been shown to increase the quality of life of people with mental disorders. In summary, we will explore the figures infamous for performing this procedure, the legal/safety issues surrounding this surgery, the relevance psychosurgery has to today's psychology, and current practices used to treat mental illnesses. In the United States, psychiatric neurosurgery has been the mainstay treatment of psychiatric disorders for several decades. Egas Moniz, a Portuguese neurologist, was one of the first to use psychosurgery as a treatment for mental illnesses. It was inspired by Fulton and Jacobson's frontal cortical ablation on the ani...... middle of paper ......3, 2012 from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/ psychotherapies/index .shtmlRaz, M. (2008). Between the ego and the icebreaker: psychosurgery, psychoanalysis, a psychiatric discourse. Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 82, 387-420. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved February 23, 2012 from the MUSE project database. Roberts, L. (2003). Mental illness and informed consent: Research and empirically derived understanding of voluntarism. Medscape. Retrieved March 21, 2012, from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/460483Rodgers, J. (1992). Psychosurgery. Retrieved February 23, 212 from http://m.psychologytoday.com/articles/199203/psychosurgeryWilliams, M. (2002). Psychosurgery. The Journal of Perioperative Practice, 12(12), 443-443. Retrieved form http://ezproxy.uwa.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/217765577?accountid=14786