Shrink or Surgeon? How Doctors Determine if a Patient Is Better Suited for Therapy or Treatment
According to Dr. Melissa Doft, a plastic surgeon in New York City, doctors are taught in school to watch out for these mental health clues—but, she says, “there are definitely a lot of doctors out there who prey on insecure patients rather than really getting to the bottom of the issue.” With Instagram and editing apps like Facetune, Dr. Doft says, it’s becoming harder now to tease out who is “just a normal millennial and who has body dysmorphic disorder.” She thinks social media is pushing more young people toward considering surgery they don’t need and leading them to believe that having different breasts or features will make them happier. “It’s not as straightforward these days to determine [patient motivation],” she says.