A Link Between Psychiatric Disorders and Non-Scarring Alopecias: A Systematic Review

November 2022 in “ Skin health and disease ”

Ana L. Forneris Crego, Anastasia Therianou, Parastoo Hashemi, Claire A. Higgins

non-scarring alopecias Alopecia Areata AA Telogen Effluvium TE Androgenetic Alopecia AGA acute stress anxiety depression hair loss conditions

TLDR People with hair loss conditions often have more mental health issues like depression and anxiety compared to those without hair loss.

This systematic review analyzed 21 articles and found a significant correlation between non-scarring alopecias (hair loss conditions) and psychiatric disorders. The study included 20,779 controls and 9,221 patients, with the majority having Alopecia Areata (AA). Patients with hair loss were found to have significantly more mental health disorders (35.1% vs. 8%), depression (26% vs. 8%), and anxiety (42.2% vs. 3.3%) than the control group. Acute stress was more associated with AA, while anxiety was more correlated with Telogen Effluvium (TE). Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) patients showed the most association with other psychiatric disorders. The review concluded that alopecia types are more associated with psychiatric disorders than the general population, with higher levels of psychiatric disorders observed in TE and AGA patients. The study suggests that more extensive studies and coordination between psychiatrists and dermatologists could help to improve the outcome of both mental health disorders and hair loss.

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