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Jeff I was told that depression is definitely a contraindication for DBS. I had to have a psychiatric assessment prior to surgery. Unfortunately, I had a stroke when the electrode was implanted so I suffered depression after the surgery. Now, 2 years after the surgery, I have recovered most of my functionality. The "lesion effect" of cutting into the brain improved my Parkinson's considerably but the stroke took away a lot of the benefits. You really need to ensure you understand how bad the "off" state is during surgery without your PD medication. I had a dose cycle assessment where they checked me as I was coming off medication but it wasn't any where as bad as the day of the operation. I developed lockjaw during surgery which I had never had before or since. It made it very difficult to communicate with the surgical team and I was in a lot of pain without the PD medication. It's a long process targeting the correct site and then testing if the electrode is working. I think you need to talk to the patients who have been operated on by your surgical team to see how well they were treated, was there anyone there to provide emotional support and talk to you like a human being during the procedure. I had a very negative experience and the treatment after was very poor as well so I would encourage you to get to know the surgical team not just your neurologist prior to surgery. Before my surgery, I had been told that the risk of a hemorrhage was only about 1 -2 % but it is not much of a comfort of you are the 1 or 2% it happens to. I don't want to scare you off having the surgery but you should be aware of the risks. On 01/08/2008, at 5:11 AM, jeff smith wrote: > My neurologist is telling me that DBS may not be recommended for PD > patients who have, or have had a bout of depression. Does anyone > know if that is right? Thanks for whatever you can say. Jeff > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn