Abstract

Non-invasive neuromodulation in psychiatry comprises a variety of techniques that use external stimulation to modulate the activity of neurons or neural circuits linked to neuropsychiatric symptoms without requiring surgery or invasive procedures. While one form—electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)—is especially well known in the public eye, other techniques such as transcranial electric or magnetic stimulation (TES/TMS) are much less known, even in the psychiatric field, despite being included in various treatment guidelines, for instance of depression, schizophrenia, or obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). New methods, such as transcranial functional ultrasound stimulation (tFUS), or protocols that adapt frequency and phase of transcranial stimulation to the ongoing activity of neurons or neural circuits are currently explored and promise to be more effective and robust. Understanding the precision, efficacy, and safety of these innovative interventions is essential for an informed and balanced discussion of their ethical dimensions and associated challenges. This chapter provides an overview of existing and emerging non-invasive techniques, their underlying mechanisms, clinical impact, and potential side effects. It then delves into the ethical implications of these methods, with a focus on their possible long-term effects and the risks of misuse or coercion.