ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Aesthetic surgery can improve the quality of life of patients, but some candidates for the procedure have depressive disorders (DDs) that may develop, in the postoperative period, in a disastrous manner from a psychological point of view and even progress to suicide. The prevalence of DDs in cosmetic surgery patients is 20% on average and reaches 70%. This article aims to review depression and aesthetic surgery as well as to alert and educate plastic surgeons on the growing number of these patients in clinical settings. It also aims to guide surgeons to the appropriate approach and specific behaviors with these patients.
Methods:
A search was performed in MEDLINE/PubMed and Embase, and key words were entered, including “cosmetic surgery,” “depression,” “mood disorders,” “depressive disorder,” “depressive symptoms,” and “suicide and plastic surgery.”
Results:
The success of plastic surgery depends a great deal on the selection of patients for the procedure. Suspect patients, patients with elevated depressive symptoms in questionnaires (such as the BDI), and patients with psychopathology “markers” should be forwarded to a psychiatrist for proper evaluation.
Conclusion:
Due to the high prevalence of DDs in aesthetic plastic surgery patients, every plastic surgery patient should be evaluated properly to identify those with possible DDs in the preoperative period, and those should be forwarded to a psychiatrist, thus avoiding an unfavorable postoperative psychological evolution.
Keywords:
Depression; Depressive Disorder; Psychopathology; Aesthetic Surgery.