Beverly Hills therapist Donna Burstyn blogs:
In a rush to get things done, in a rush to get things beautiful, in a rush to get things thin, in a city where most people know it as a laid-back non-judgmental place, Los Angeles is the greatest judgment capitol in the world. We judge age, weight, body form, and we alter it to play a part. We don’t want to naturally age.
What most people have a hard time with is what happens afterwards. It’s not the surgery per se. It’s not that they are getting thin. It is that what was their closest friend, the food, is now no longer there. Often people experience depression, anxiety attacks, and loneliness. Far too few doctors share with their patients ahead of time the psychological symptoms they may experience after the surgery.
There is a huge amount of cross-addiction. Just because someone is no longer compulsively over-eating does not make that person any healthier emotionally. Often one will take on another addiction in its place.