Severe Depression and Hair loss

by Jennifer
(Michigan )

I am a 44 year old female in good health except for moderate to severe depression which I have suffered with most of my life. Up until recently my depression has been controlled quite well with medication. Last year I had one of my worse bouts ever and the doctors told me that my depression is now resistant to medication. I was suicidal and lost about 15 pounds (I was thin already) and lived through 8 months of hell.

I just started to come out of it about 4 months ago and now have had significant hair loss. I went to my dermatologist and she said that it was TE from my depression. The problem is, now it is all I think about and I am panicked about how far my hair loss will go- I am starting the whole depressive cycle all over again... she tells me not to worry but how can I not?

Editor’s Comments,

Dear Jennifer,

I guess the only thing you must really do is to find ways to stop your depression because physically and mentally it’s going to make things much worse, not to mention more hair loss. Depression can cause a lot of internal pressure to your body and it can cause chronic Telogen Effluvium if it’s not managed properly. I can understand that it’s hard to take off your focus from your current hair loss situation but you really need to try.

Since your medications are no longer effective to suppress your depression, you might want to use other forms of therapies like seeking the expertise of a psychologist or try meditation techniques like yoga. I strongly believe once you manage your depression well your hair loss will also stop.

In the meantime, you might want to temporarily cut your hair short to reduce the appearance of hair loss. Your hair stylist can surely offer you a good recommendation. If there are bald patches, you can also use hair concealers to temporarily cover it until the hair grows back.