Over the past decade, there has been a remarkable resurgence of neurosurgical treatments for psychiatric disorders, such as obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, and Tourette’s, using both lesioning and deep brain stimulation (DBS). The reasons for this include the following: the unmet need for more effective treatments; the success with surgical treatments for movement disorders; the better understanding of the underlying disturbances of brain circuitry and mechanisms in these disorders and the rational for surgical approaches; and pressure from desperate patients and families, dedicated psychiatrists, and neurosurgeons and device manufacturers. The history of psychosurgery is a clear reminder of the substantial risks for patients and for this emerging field if this procedure is not done carefully. With notable exceptions, the problems and issues are generally more complex for psychiatric than for movement disorders, because of the pervasive and chronic preoperative disturbances of psychosocial development, mood, behavior, and the resulting greater difficulties with postoperative reintegration, marital problems, and potential suicide. The major goals of the symposium are to make clear the enormous opportunity to provide relief for some of the most devastating disorders affecting patients, while being mindful of the earlier shortcomings of psychosurgery, the lessons from treating movement disorders, and the need for careful and ethical conduct of research and communication with the media.