Hair Loss Due To Depression
Depression is hardly a rarity in the modern world. By 2019 In the UK alone, one in five individuals over the age of sixteen were prescribed anti-depressants – and this figure continues to rise.
Hair loss due to depression occurs as a result of the mental exhaustion as the brain is forced to function in an extended state of stress and low mood. This is turn can undermine the potency of the hormones that encourage hair to grow during the hair growth cycle.
How exactly can depression cause hair loss?
As many are aware, the hair growth cycle comprises of four stages:
- Anagen – the growth phase.
- Catagen – the transition phase.
- Telogen – the resting phase.
- Exogen – the shedding phase where new hair starts to develop.
When an individual is suffering from depression, the body reacts in much the same way as it does when it is under a lot of stress. This shift in behaviour on a cellular level is known as telogen effluvium, causing the hair follicle to enter the resting phase too early, causing excess shedding.
Is my hair loss due to depression?
Every patient is an individual, and it would be irresponsible to provide those reading this page a definite ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.
What you can do, and should do, however, is make an appointment with your GP at your earliest convenience, who can carry out tests which will help them to determine the exact cause of your hair loss.
It is important to remember that depression can be present in many individuals who are losing their hair, but that does not necessarily make depression the cause – or to use a statistical approach – correlation does not imply causation.
However, regardless of whether it is the cause for your hair loss, we still encourage those suffering from depression to seek treatment, as extended periods of depression can have much worse consequences both physical and mental than simply losing one’s hair, especially when hair loss is something that be remedied aesthetically both in the short term and long term by surgical or non-surgical approaches by hair growth clinics.
If my hair loss isn’t due to depression, what could it be?
As strange as it sounds, depression can cause hair loss both directly and indirectly – and the loss of hair can often lead to a state of depression worsening
Those who suffer from depression tend to take less care of themselves than those who do are considered mentally healthy. When people do not take care of themselves, they are likely to either gain or lose weight, consistently miss out on nutrients due to a bad diet, or even develop hyperthyroidism – a condition that can often be worsened by stress and depression.
To conclude, we always recommend that you seek mental health professionals if you are feeling depressed for your own well-being. If, once you have sought attention and started treatment your hair loss symptoms begin to persist, rest assured that you will always have the option of surgical hair transplants, or hair growth systems that are much cheaper, and provide the same results. To see the results that can be attained through these hair systems, please visit our success story page and either view our videos, or read our testimonials.
If you are worried that you are suffering from hair loss due to depression, we always advise you to contact your GP to help you with the underlying problem. However, at the Hair Growth Studio we will always be available to provide you with support as well as numerous effective hair systems to help you recover. So, please book a consultation with the Hair Growth Studio if you’d like personally-tailored advice from an expert.