Having alopecia doesn't just mean being bald. It's so much more in the way of physical symptoms, the social aspect, and what I think is the most powerful aspects of the disease; Emotional. 

 

For purposes of this discussion, we will be looking at the emotional impact this rare disease has on those of us in how we view ourselves and how others view us.

 

The emotional aspects of living with hair loss can be challenging.
Discovery of hair loss is a stressful experience for both sexes, but substantially more distressing for women. Throughout the course of history attitudes towards baldness have been overwhelmingly negative. Living with alopecia can be difficult in a culture that views hair as a sign of youth and good health.
 

People said there were many different emotions they had experienced with having alopecia, such as:

 

• shock

• fear

• sadness

• isolation

• anger and frustration

• low self-esteem and knocked confidence

• awkwardness and embarrassment

• anxiety, stress, and panic

 

The emotional aspects of living with hair loss can be challenging.
Discovery of hair loss is a stressful experience for both sexes, but substantially more distressing for women. Throughout the course of history attitudes towards baldness have been overwhelmingly negative. Living with alopecia can be difficult in a culture that views hair as a sign of youth and good health. Read More on these findings in this article, Hair Loss: Emotions and Feelings.

My Story

 

For me, this was treading in very dangerous waters given I had a history of depression and anxiety at the start of losing my hair. I was unaware of how having alopecia was going to impact my life and at the time there weren't a lot of websites and videos on the internet of people that I could research or relate to. This sent me down a very dark road. I, unfortunately, broke emotionally. I suffered from so much fear, isolation, anger, and frustration. I felt embarrassed, panicky and felt there was no one in the world who could possibly have known what I was feeling. This resulted in a big ball of health issues and I ended up feeling defeated, suicidal, unable to related to family and friends. I was unable to work. I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror. I became this bald, anorexic suicidal shell of a woman who didn't even recognize her own reflection in the mirror. Hospitalization was my only choice to save my life. And all the while I felt completely ridiculous for having gone through all of this over my hair. I thought and people said to me, that I was being ridiculous. What they didn't know is that what I was experiencing was quite common among someone who was diagnosed with having severe hair loss, no matter what the hair loss source was. The only thing I kept hearing was, "At least your not dead or dying!" And all I kept thinking was, "Why do people keep thinking that this statement was going to make me magically feel better about what I was going through?" So, I continued on my journey to get well and began to repair my emotional health.

 

I vowed at that time that if ever got well, I would help others to understand their disease so that wouldn't have to go through what I did. I also knew there had to be others who were born with the disease or who had the onset of the disease early in there lives out there. How were they doing? Were they isolating themselves? Are they in the hospitals of the worlds? Are they being bullied? Did they succeed in their suicide attempts? This is why I am sharing my story. I hope that in sharing my sharing my story I can let others know that they are not alone and that they can overcome this emotional and physical rollercoaster disease called alopecia. There is hope. 

 

 

See my photos of how severe hair loss can affect you emotionally.