While no definitive reason for the connection has been established, it has become apparent from a number of studies that women who undergo breast implant surgery have a higher risk of suicide than woman who do not.
The most recent study on the subject examined the records of 12,144 women in the U.S. who had implant surgery and 3,614 who had other types of cosmetic surgery between 1960 and 1988.
The results are published in the journal Epidemiology.
Although the study found women with breast implants at a lower risk for breast cancer and other causes of death, the increased risk of suicide is a concern to the researchers.
These women were found to be over 200% more likely as women who had undergone other cosmetic procedures to take their own lives.
While the reason for this is unclear, several studies have reached a similar conclusion. The link may be explained by higher rates of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem among women who undergo breast augmentation.
Another study found women who received cosmetic breast implants were more likely to have a history of psychiatric hospitalization than those who underwent other types of plastic surgery.
Thus, when it was found that the women with implants were also more likely to die in a car accident, the team suggested that some of those traffic-related deaths may not have been accidental.
These repeated findings have prompted some experts to recommend that women be screened for past and present psychiatric problems before receiving breast implants.
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