Victorian Consolidated Legislation

Mental Health Act 1986 - SECT 54

Definitions

54. Definitions



(1) In this Division, psychosurgery means-

   (a)  any surgical technique or procedure by which one or more lesions are
        created in a person's brain on the same or on separate occasions
        primarily for the purpose of altering the thoughts, emotions or
        behaviour of that person; or

   (b)  the use of intracerebral electrodes to create one or more lesions in a
        person's brain on the same or on separate occasions primarily for the
        purpose of altering the thoughts, emotions or behaviour of that
        person; or

   (c)  the use of intracerebral electrodes to cause stimulation through the
        electrodes on the same or on separate occasions without creating a
        lesion in the person's brain for the purpose of influencing or
        altering the thoughts, emotions or behaviour of that person.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), behaviour of a person-

   (a)  does not include-

   (i)  behaviour manifested as part of generalized convulsive or
        non-convulsive epilepsy; or

   (ii) behaviour manifested as part of simple or complex partial epilepsy; or

   (iii) behaviour considered to be secondary to a paroxysmal cerebral
        dysrhythmia; or

   (iv) behaviour manifested as a result of a disorder of the basal ganglia;
        and

   (b)  does include behaviour not considered to be secondary to cerebral
        dysrhythmia.



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