The psychological impact of alopecia

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7522.951

BMJ 2005;331:951-953 (22 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7522.951

Clinical review

The psychological impact of alopecia

Nigel Hunt, lecturer in applied psychology¹, Sue McHale, senior lecturer in biopsychology²

¹ University of Nottingham, Institute of Work, Health and Organisations, University of Nottingham, Nottingham Science and Technology Park, Nottingham NG7 2RQ UK, ² Psychology Group, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB

Correspondence to: N Hunt nigel.hunt@nottingham.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Introduction

Alopecia is a chronic dermatological disorder in which peoplelose some or all of the hair on their head and sometimes ontheir body as well. It is a chronic inflammatory disease thataffects the hair follicles. It is neither life threatening norpainful, though there can be irritation of the skin, as wellas physical problems resulting from the loss of eyelashes andeyebrows. The aetiology and subsequent development of alopeciais not fully understood, but it is an autoimmune disorder thatarises from a combination of genetic and environmental influences.¹We have included alopecia secondary to chemotherapy in the currentreview as, although there are fundamental aetiological differences,they may share similarities—for example, anxiety arisingfrom the alopecia and the psychological impact relating to identity.

Alopecia has few physically harmful effects, but may lead topsychological consequences, including high levels of anxietyand depression. Medical treatment for the . . . [Full text of this article]

Sources and selection criteria

Prevalence and clinical features

Psychological problems associated with alopecia

Alopecia and women

Alopecia and children

Psychological treatment of alopecia

Dealing with alopecia patients

Future research

Conclusions

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