Women Who Get Breast Implants Are 3x More Likely To Commit Suicide?
(HealthDay News) — Women who undergo cosmetic breast augmentation surgeries are three times as likely to commit suicide as those who don’t have surgically enhanced breasts, a new study finds.
The increase in suicide risk does not emerge until about 10 years or more after women receive the implants, the research shows.
This latest study adds to a growing body of research finding that women with cosmetic breast implants are much more likely to take their own lives, said study lead investigator Loren Lipworth, a senior epidemiologist at the International Epidemiology Institute in Rockville, Md.
There’s nothing about the breast implant itself that leads to increased likelihood of suicide, added Lipworth, who is also an assistant professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. “Some women who get them are more likely to have psychiatric problems leading to suicide,” she speculated.
My questions are:
Do you think that these women may have body image and self-esteem issues that can not be rectified, but instead become intensified, by the breast augmentation?
Should women who wish to undergo breast augmentation be evaluated for any underlying mental health issues?
First of all: question the source of this “information”! And question the way it’s been presented.
Secondly, good plastic surgeons are supposed to evaluate a person’s emotional health before proceeding. Some of them have unrealistic expectations, and expect to look 20 again when they’re in their 50′s. But not all plastic surgeons do that. They’ll do it for the money.
Thirdly: women have implants for different reasons. For instance, I have small boobs and am perfectly comfortable with that. But if I had three babies and they started sagging to the ground, I would want implants, definitely. Just to feel a little better about my appearance.
But people get attention when they mention the word “breast” so it’s likely that women who have lots of plastic surgery, period, have a higher tendency to be depressed and have low self-esteem, and have unrealistic expectations of themselves. It’s not a “boob” thing.
Your question directly contradicts the speculation made in the article which was stated in plain English, “There’s nothing about the breast implant itself that leads to increased likelihood of suicide”.
The women who would go so far as breast augmentation are probably the ones with the deepest mental issues; therefore, they are more likely to wind up committing suicide. Mandatory psychiatric evaluations is again based on the idea that these women are committing suicide based on breast augmentation which again is false and would mean that these women will still have their issues except without implants but still increased risk of suicide.
I don’t buy the line that the implants themselves do not contribute to the suicide rate. There are women who died due to the complications from leaking implants and ALL silicone implants will eventually leak, causing extremely painful physical problems that are not cured when the implants are removed. I believe these implant related illnesses are responsible for the suicide rate. Many of these women face a life of extreme pain, that only death can alleviate.
I think a good deal of them have body image issues that are derived from self esteem issues.
Since the augmentation itself is not the cause, the self esteem / depression is the cause, I see no need for someone to screen a person of mental health issues. Besides, people who want it are going to get it. Breast implants or not, without treatment they are more prone for suicide.
I watched some kind of lifestyle show which stated at the 10 year mark post surgery the implants have to be replaced. Which it was then stated that the implants would be replaced every 10 years for the rest of their life. Maybe it’s a “what have I done” situation. Maybe it doesn’t really sink in until that first re-implant. The cost doesn’t help either.
1. ) Some may, not all do.
2. ) Not anymore than anyone else.
Think about this: 4/100000 women commit suicide annually.
Among women with breast implants, that number is 12/100000.
The death rate from car accidents is 21/100000.
Maybe we should evaluate people who want to drive or ride in cars?
Women who get breast implants trust the medical establishment.
Thus they will trust their remedies for depression.
Antidepressants cause suicide, among other things.
It does make sense. Women who need breast augmentations regularly have self-esteem issues and mental problems.
1) Yes.
2) No, personal choice.
First off, women don’t just get implants for self-esteem issues… sometimes they just want the bigger boobs. Basically this article is assuming that women with low self-esteem are 3x more likely to commit suicide and/or have mental health problems; I don’t believe this to be true.
No, I don’t think those wishing to undergo cosmetic surgery (of any kind, since technically those who have nose jobs or hair transplants would also fall under the category of “low self-esteem”) should have to be psych evaluated first. It’s a personal choice that’s between the person getting the surgery and their doctor.
I think they have to have mental issues in the first place to want to do something so stupid as undergoing unnecessary surgery. They probably think having huge boobs will make their lives better, and then they see that it doesn’t and get even more depressed. Or they are pressured into it by someone and then that someone leaves them anyways despite her doing everything he wanted. Of course they have body issues.. they want to look like barbie thanks to the media, and thanks to our medical “professionals” they can do it. I think walking into a doctors office and announcing you want to go under the knife for purely cosmetic reasons is something a mentally unstable person who is desperate for acceptance and admiration would do.
It’s ironic, I was just answering another thread about people using statistics to mislead people, and further their agenda.
The way this is phrased, would imply that women receiving breast augmentation surgery, is somehow causing them to be more prone to suicide… which is ridiculous…
The more obvious reasoning, is that women who consider breast augmentation, predominantly suffer from self-esteem issues, so are logically going to be far more likely to commit suicide, regardless of whether they actually receive the surgery or not. You don’t need a study to know that, merely common sense.
The fact that these issues tend to emerge 10+ years later, suggests in fact that breast augmentation works, but only temporarily, as eventually age will cause their beauty issues to resurface, bringing them back to square-one… and this time, theres no quick fix…
I don’t believe women who wish to undergo breast augmentation need to be evaluated for mental health issues, but it should be addressed that breast augmentation is not the cure all, to whatever underlying self-esteem issues they may have…
yes! if women are having breast implants because they are dissatisfied with their breasts then they clearly have issues, if these issues are left unresolved just temporarilyy hidden by new boobs then they are still there and the minute the person thinks about something else they don’t like about themselves they all come back until one day they realise they can’t solve the problem and it all becomes too big. its like giving anti depressents to treat depressiong, theres no point treating the symptoms if your going to leave the cause there! they should be evaluated and then treated properly if something comes up!