Call For Better Guidance For Breast Surgery Ops

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery
Article Date: 17 Jul 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Women seeking breast augmentation on the NHS for mental health reasons may face a postcode lottery because of a lack of clear guidance and evidence on who will benefit from the surgery.

This is the finding of Katie Trickey of Canterbury Christ Church University, who presents her findings at The British Psychological Society Psychology of Women Annual Conference, being held in Windsor.

Aesthetic breast augmentation is carried out on the NHS in exceptional cases where women are experiencing psychosocial distress because of the size or shape of their breasts. In the year 2005 - 6, 1,495 women were given breast augmentation on the NHS for aesthetic reasons .

This study examined the experiences of five women referred to one NHS hospital for breast augmentation for reasons connected to their mental health. The women were all experiencing substantial psychosocial distress and impaired quality of life because of their concern with their appearance, but none of the five were granted funding for surgery.

The clinicians at the hospital, who were also interviewed, gave varying accounts of cases they thought should be funded on psychosocial grounds. Reasons given for refusing funding included insufficient psychological problems, too many psychological problems and lack of evidence that their distress was related to the appearance of their breasts.

Katie Trickey, lead researcher, said: "This study showed how these women were faced with a stressful journey because the criteria for breast augmentation on the NHS are not clear.

"The referral process raised their hopes of getting help for their problems and appearance-related concerns. However, because there is no clear evidence base as to which women will most benefit psychologically from breast augmentation, the health professionals in this study were basing decisions on subjective judgements about which women were most deserving, and the criteria applied by the funding panel seemed aimed at denying surgery for budgetary reasons.

"The lack of transparency for aesthetic breast augmentation on the NHS means that women referred for this surgery are facing a postcode lottery.

"It's clear from our findings that more research needs to be carried out into the psychological benefits of aesthetic breast augmentation, so that criteria for surgery can be developed and the quality of the service that these vulnerable patients receive be rationalized and improved."

British Psychological Society