Final answer:
The statement that psychosurgery involves surgical procedures destroying selected brain areas linked to emotional or violent compulsive disorders is true. The prefrontal lobotomy, an example of psychosurgery, was practiced to treat various disorders by severing connections in the brain.
Step-by-step explanation:
Psychosurgery is indeed defined as any surgical procedure that involves destroying selected areas of the brain that are believed to be involved in emotional or violent compulsive disorders. This definition is true. An example of such a psychosurgical procedure is the prefrontal lobotomy, which was a common practice in the 1940s and early 1950s. The prefrontal lobotomy involved severing the connections between the prefrontal cortex and other regions of the brain. Disorders that were treated using this procedure included personality disorders, mood disorders, and psychoses. The advent of antipsychotic drugs led to a decline in the use of this procedure. The prefrontal lobotomy was thought to be necessary for individuals who had potentially uncontrollable behaviors because it was believed that altering the brain structures associated with personality and emotion could ameliorate these behaviors.