the first time i ever did psychiatric evaluation for surgery patients was during my psychiatric residency at the veterans memorial medical center. i was given the task of interviewing filipino men who wanted to undergo sex reassignment surgery. during that time, i was amazed how beautiful and flawless these men could be. it was also amusing for me to know that their surgeries were funded by their male lovers, most of whom were straight japanese men. i know it's weird but these japanese claimed to be straight, and as proof of that, they wanted their filipino male partners to become full-pledged women!
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this evening, i was invited as a guest speaker by the philippine academy of aesthetic surgeons. it was held at the H20 Hotel at the manila ocean park and the event was attended by around 150 surgeons. basically, i told that plastic surgery patients have to undergo routine psychiatric evaluation, especially to screen for the following psychiatric disorders:.
- depression - may get more depressed after surgery; may use surgery as a emotional band-aid
- bipolar disorder, hypomanic phase - may make an impulsive reckless decision to undergo surgery
- anxiety disorder - may get more anxious before, during, and after the surgery
- body dysmorphic disorder - obsesses about imagined (non-existent) defects
- borderline personality disorder - very unstable with their emotions and body image
- eating disorders - have flawed perception about their bodies
- psychosis - may have bizarre complaints about their bodies and make bizarre requests
- polysurgical addiction - gets a thrill from unneeded surgeries
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first time for me to be at manila ocean park, so i enjoyed oggling at all the marine life swimming lazily behind us.
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