New research indicates women with breast implants have three times the risk of committing suicide than the general female population, and the risk increases for women who are older at the time of surgery.
U.S. researchers studying 28 years of Swedish healthcare data, reported in the August issue of Annals of Plastic Surgery that at least 22 percent of all deaths in the sample of 3,527 women who had cosmetic breast augmentation could be linked to suicide, psychological disorders and/or drugs and alcohol. "The excess of deaths from suicides, drug and alcohol abuse and dependence, and other related causes suggests significant underlying psychiatric morbidity among these women," the researchers write. The rate of breast cancer was no higher than in the general population.
They recommend that cosmetic surgeons conduct mental health screenings before surgery and follow-up monitoring afterward.
For more information:
- Visit the Annals of Plastic Surgery Web site. Abstract
- Check out this story from Medical News Today. Article