The Dark Side of Dr. Shar

"You know, maybe I should get boobs."
—Quinn Morgendorffer, "Too Cute"


Several years ago in graduate school, I was required to write reports on various topics having to do with health psychology, which was one of my classes. During my studies I discovered a startling article that had found a correlation between women who get breast implants and suicide. In other words, the study found that women who got cosmetic breast implants were more likely to kill themselves than women who didn't get implants. This disturbing connection has been confirmed in numerous other studies. A few articles on this problem are given here: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Current thinking is that a significant number of women seeking cosmetic surgery probably have some form of mental illness that, left undiagnosed and untreated, results in greater self-destructive behavior. Indeed, some breast-implant studies show higher levels of drug and alcohol abuse among women seeking cosmetic surgery. Cancer rates appear to be unaffected, except for an odd increase in lung cancer in one study that has been interpreted to show a higher probability of smoking among women seeking cosmetic breast surgery. Auto accident rates seem higher, too—possible suicides?

One illness often cited as a possible cause of suicide, when combined with plastic surgery, is body dysmorphic disorder, a condition in which a person believes he or she is ugly or physically flawed, though little or no actual evidence to support this claim exists. Most teenagers, like Quinn, worry about their looks, but some take this to extremes. This reminds me of a certain Daria character (hint: "Does this dress make me look fat?").

I think you see where the Angst Train is heading. More shortly.