Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a treatment for many things including Parkinson’s, OCD, other mental illnesses and neurological disorders too. It involves inserting electrodes into a person’s brain under surgery and connecting these to a pacemaker device implanted near one’s collarbone which controls electrical impulses into the brain which can be adjusted according to ones needs. This is something which is done worldwide but isn’t necessarily an option in all parts of Australia - for instance it’s not an option for OCD in NSW due to an outdated mental health act in NSW government legislation despite it being a treatment which has been proved to be effective in many people who have treatment resistant mental illness, particularly OCD. The surgery can however be done for neurological conditions in NSW.

This is what this device looks like in my brain… (not an image of me) and some photos after surgeries… Not my greatest pics but okay seeing I’d just had hours of neurosurgery….! Very slowly getting used to having no hair…!

I had this surgery nearly two weeks ago in Melbourne after much assessment and a previous surgery which implanted markers into my skull to have my head secured for the surgery to implant the device. So…if you see me without any hair at the moment, this explains why. It was roughly a 4 hour neurosurgery

As much as it would be fabulous if it was, DBS is not something which works immediately - it takes a few months for the effects to be noticed. The surgery might seem like the major step and whilst it definitely is, it’s actually only the start in the whole process. But hopefully DBS will bring me some relief that meds, therapy and ECT haven’t been able to fully get me to feel some relief and to feel much less anxious and obsessive and my depression can be managed without so much ECT, even if I can’t quite remember what this exactly feels like as its been this way for such a long time now.

Soon to come will be a story of how this whole process goes & keep you updated of the process… (including why NSW needs to update their legislation!)