Mental Health and Cosmetic surgery

[Jacques]

Hi Everyone, im just looking for some feedback about the roles of a psychologist/Psychaitrist i have become aware of a specific psychologist who is pushing for patients to get cosmetic surgery (Gastric mainly) as a way to overcome mental health issues, the person in question is working with the doctor/surgeon who does the procedure, does everyone think this is ethical and if so why/ why not.

im under the personal belief cosmetic surgery should only be done in the case of disfigurement/burns, it really worries me that this will become main place in our medical profession and give a lot of people eating dissorders as a unintentional consequance of there relentless drive to look a certain way.

thank you

Jacques

[Owlunar]

Hi @Jacques

It's great to see you again

I tend to agree with you on the subject of cosmetic/plastic surgery. It's something that could be suggested but there is a great deal more at risk than just the surgery itself

Whether or not it's ethical - I'm not sure - doctors of all sorts refer patients to each other and that's perfectly okay - it's necessary for a GP to have different opinions from his own patients about the surgeons he refers them to - as well as what he knows from other professionals.

When it comes to having someone lose weight surgically for Mental Health Issues I think it is really necessary to have everything seen to in a one-by-one basis. Losing weight surgically could be seen as an easy way to do it and it's not - a person is restricted to a limited diet and supplements and this would be a hard way of doing it 

Ethical or not - if everything is done well - if the patient seeks help from a surgeon and is referred to a psychologist and dietician it's still risky

But if a person really wants to go that way I guess they will

It's a tricky question Jacques - and not something I would be looking at

Imo it's a better thing to have a person learn to accept - even appreciate - their weight - hard - yes - safer - I think so

Ethical - dicey

Good questions though

Dec

[Appleblossom]

Good Question @Jacques

I think it is a breach of professional ethics.  

Its one thing to pass on business to a friend, but the level of trust/vulnerability which occurs in therapuetic relationships with counsellors etc, makes it a serious issue.

Every time a patient submits to a procedure with a general anaesthetic there is possiblity of grave risk. I am not sure if these procedures require the general, but even without it, I see it as medical predation among a vulnerable demographic.