Women who undergo breast enhancement surgery may be more likely to commit suicide than those who don't, according to a study published in last week's British Medical Journal. The findings raise the concern that this type of cosmetic surgery, which is also the most popular, may be connected with psychological problems.
"I've only ever observed a significant increase in depression in those women who were already depressed to begin with," says Herb Neiburg, Ph.D., director of behavioral medicine and psychoncology at Four Winds hospital in Katonah, New York. Based on this observation, Neiburg wonders whether depressed patients who aren't satisfied with their surgical results may be more at risk for committing suicide.
Researchers at the University Medical Center in Utrecht followed 3,521 Swedish women, ages 15 to 69, who received breast implants between 1965 and 1993. They tracked the subjects over an 11-year period, noting when applicable their cause of death.
