Hair loss stress

May 4 2009 by Joanne Butcher, Evening Chronicle

MORE understanding is needed of the psychological problems of people affected by hair loss, experts said.

Almost a third of people in the UK suffered from hair loss or had experienced it.

While the majority were affected by male pattern baldness or hair thinning, around 2% suffered from alopecia.

A “significant minority“ were found to be at risk of serious psychosocial consequences, including depression, anxiety, lower self-esteem and identity change, according to the report’s author, health psychologist Dr Nigel Hunt.

He said: “While hair loss affects a quarter of the population, the psychosocial consequences are relatively unknown.

“This report demonstrates that hair loss cannot be dismissed as a one-dimensional problem but is a serious issue that requires emotional support.”

Sufferers reported a lack of understanding from doctors, who told patients that hair-thinning was a normal part of ageing and that asit was not life-threatening there was little to worry about.