A psychiatric expert is recommending Botox to treat depression.

Dr. Eva Ritvo, a respected practitioner of psychiatry and behavioral sciences from Miami, recently contributed to the Psychology Today blog.

Dr. Ritvo was watching Michael Jackson and she felt sad as she remembered his recent passing. As she tried to cry, she could not. It’s because she recently had Botox injections, which paralyzed some of her facial muscles.

“But even more surprisingly, when I couldn’t cry, I quickly stopped feeling sad,” she wrote. “I felt so odd that I couldn’t find those emotions.”

Ritvo said that the sadness disappeared and the same symptoms kept recurring for the next weeks. She explained, “The emotions lingered a bit but felt ‘unreal’ and disconnected.”
With the effects she felt, Ritvo believes there is basis for more research on the effects of Botox on depression.

She concluded: “If we can see treatments like Botox as potentially efficacious treatments for real illnesses instead of luxuries for pampered ‘real housewives,’ then we stand a better chance of getting real science behind the anecdotes and real help for patients who need it.”

Source: Plastic Surgery Channel