Saturday, August 19, 2006

Suicide is painless (but what about breast augmentation?)

CNN appear to be fascinated by the news that breast implants correlate with suicidal tendencies. 

Pop quiz:

Do you think that, despite not being in any way deformed, having a need to modify your physical appearance via a painful and risky surgical procedure in order to make yourself more attractive to the opposite sex would also mean that:
a) you might be less inclined to have such a poor self image that you are an increased suicide risk?
b) this need and one's psychological state are not relevant to one another?
c) you would indeed be more likely to have such a poor self image that you are an increased suicide risk?

Personally, I don't think it takes a rocket scientist nor a "large Canadian survey" to realize what the correct answer might be and I wonder that this actually makes news, never mind the headline.  That said, on reading the article, I'm mildly surprised that the increased suicide risk is quite low, body modification fans being only 73% more likely to top themselves than their more personally comfortable neighbors.

On the other hand one wonders what CNN would make of a much more common life experience than breast augmentation which actually tripled the risk of suicide.  One wonders what they would make of it if the risk for men was not affected at all by the same experience.  This is exactly what happens in the aftermath of divorce, only it's men's suicide risk which increases, not women's. That's one every 35 minutes in the USA, only slightly longer than your typical sitcom.


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