How does hair loss affect mental health?

Hair loss may lead to depression, anxiety, and social phobia. Depression can lead to a feeling of low mood, lack of interest or pleasure in activities, loss of energy, and sleep deprivation. Anxiety can cause excessive worrying, difficulty in controlling those feelings, and a feeling of heightened tension.

Can thinning hair cause depression?

Hair loss has many possible causes, including genetics, an underactive thyroid, cancer treatments, or medications for other health conditions. And for many people, hair loss (alopecia) or thinning hair can result in a loss of self-esteem and cause depression, anxiety, and other emotional issues.

Does alopecia areata cause depression?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), people with chronic medical conditions, such as alopecia areata, are at higher risk of developing depression than people who don’t experience serious health issues.

Is hair loss a side effect of anxiety?

Although the hair will grow back, continued anxiety and stress can cause the hair loss to continue leading to different patches of hair and baldness. Telogen Effluvium (TE). This is the second most common form of hair loss. In essence, it occurs when there is a change in the number of hair follicles growing hair.

Is Alopecia an anxiety disorder?

Anxiety and stress are similar conditions, but anxiety itself can be a lifelong struggle. Studies have shown that stress and anxiety-induced stress can contribute to specific hair loss conditions. Alopecia Areata. Large clumps of hair may suddenly fall out for no apparent reason, causing patches of hair loss.

Does overthinking cause depression?

Overthinking is linked to psychological problems, like depression and anxiety. It’s likely that overthinking causes mental health to decline and as your mental health declines, the more likely you are to overthink.

Can overthinking cause hair loss?

Yes, stress and hair loss can be related. Three types of hair loss can be associated with high stress levels: Telogen effluvium. In telogen effluvium (TEL-o-jun uh-FLOO-vee-um), significant stress pushes large numbers of hair follicles into a resting phase.

Can depression cause your hair to fall out?

Depression and hair loss are linked and those suffering from depression can notice that hair can become dry, brittle and can break easily. The physiological states of depression such as low mood, discouragement, low self-esteem and feeling drained can be a factor in reducing the hair growth phase, leading to hair loss.

How stress and anxiety can cause hair loss?

Severe stress and anxiety can lead to an autoimmune disorder, known as Alopecia Areata. It is an autoimmune reaction in which white blood cell behaves abnormally that they attack your own hair follicles, causing hair loss in the form of patches.

Can hair loss be caused by antidepressants?

While hair loss caused by antidepressant use is rare, it is a possible side effect for just about all antidepressants. Unfortunately, because there are so many potential causes of hair loss, the only way to know for certain if your antidepressant is causing your hair loss is to stop taking it and see if your hair regrows.

How can anxiety cause hair loss?

Can Anxiety Cause Hair Loss? Telogen effluvium. This condition is a common cause of temporary hair. Trichotillomania. If you’ve ever found yourself literally pulling out your hair when you’re stressed or tense, it could be a sign of trichotillomania. Alopecia areata. In this condition, your body’s immune system attacks your hair follicles, causing your hair to fall out.