It is so important that we in the younger generation and our children learn from first hand experiences..thanks again…..

If the study authors did advance it as the “sole explanation” for their findings (i.e., if it’s not just the media hearing half the story and then blowing that half totally out of proportion), the researchers *should* be criticized. This violates one of the most important rules of science, particularly that “there is no such thing as ‘proof.’” One study (or 6 studies, or the majority of members of a support group), regardless of the strength or consistency of reesults, doesn’t equal irrefutable proof of anything. Studies only provide evidence for or against reasonable hypotheses. All the while, it’s always possible that *something important* was omitted from the study, and this important third variable *actually* drives the association.

The problem is that these important third variables don’t seem to be measured in any of these studies. In order to figure out what’s actually going on for these women, we need a study that includes 1) measures of their psychological status before implants, that 2) continues to follow-up about problems for a long-time post-procedure. Until these data are available, the evidence for either explanation will stay weak.

The shock, horror and guilt expressed by those young mothers is something that will be with me the rest of my life.

Some of SalineSupport’s mothers have expressed their complete despair and guilt about how their implants affected their children . . . To the point that they have considered killing their child and themselves.

What is inexcusable is that there never have been thorough studies on the women OR children who have become sick after breast implants. . . And, that, without proof, the medical profession is telling women that breast implants are safe. WRONG!

Rogene

What disproves the recent conclusion that women prone to suicide get breast implants is that once our women get their implants PROPERLY removed and detox, they are no longer depressed. They are able to return to work, to school and to caring for their families. They may never be fully healthy again - but life is good again.

I have no doubt that women commit suicide after being treated badly by the medical community. They are frequently told to see a psychiatrist when all they need to do is to get rid of the implants!

By the time they make the connection between their illness and their breast implants (if they do), they often have lost their careers, savings, homes, insurance and health.

What’s horrible is the problems some of the offspring experience! They had no choice!

When is the FDA going to wake up?

As Sybil stated, women with breast implants were 3 times as likely to commit suicide as other women in this new, Swedish study. This is consistent with findings in other countries, including the U.S. In the fine print, the Swedish study mentions that this rate is even higher — almost 700% as high — for women who got implants at age 45 or older. Also, the increase in suicides were higher when the women had implants for at least 10 years.

It is certainly possible that some women who get breast implants have low self-esteem or mental health problems before getting their implants. In fact, in testifying before the FDA, plastic surgeons and women who are happy with their implants said that the goal was higher self-esteem. Unfortunately, the data don’t support the assumption that breast augmentation improves self-esteem. Research clearly shows that after the initial satisfaction (during the first 6 months), most plastic surgery patients feel better about the body part that was “fixed” but they don’t feel better about themselves or their lives. That disappointment can be mentally harmful, but if you add the pain and complications that are especially common 10 years or more after getting breast implants, you can see why the increase in suicide, as well as drug and alcohol abuse, is not surprising.

The latest study, published in Annals of Plastic Surgery, was funded by Dow Corning, which manufactures silicone and used to make breast implants. The study seems to blame the women and the doctors, but not the product.

Some of those criticisms are valid. If women have low self-esteem or depression, they should try getting counseling rather than plastic surgery. Plastic surgeons should not promise an increase in self-esteem, because there is no evidence to support that. But, we also need new kinds of studies: to study the health and implant status of the women just before they tried to kill themselves. That is possible by interviewing friends and family, and checking their medical records, as well as interviewing women who attempted suicide but survived.

Dz Zuckerman