Recurrent and Neglected Ethical Issues in the Psychiatric Brain Stimulation Discussion

What are key ethical concerns surrounding the use of psychiatric deep brain stimulation (DBS)? Are those concerns shared broadly for all aspects of DBS or alternatively are they specific to the intended targeted use of that intervention? Dr. Cabrera discusses results from a recent study conducted by a multidisciplinary research team in which they examined ethical issues discussed in both the scientific and ethics literature around psychiatric DBS. Dr. Cabrera makes the case that understanding the ethics of DBS for psychiatric interventions provides important insight into the way in which ethical concerns for a single technology might vary depending on their intended use.
Laura Y. Cabrera, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Neuroethics in the Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences and the Department of Translational Science & Molecular Medicine in the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
Recorded February 15, 2017