Alopecia

  



 The popular name for this problem is the Hair Loss or the Baldness.

 Behind this  problem stay a lot of causes, but I will try to resume them as short as I can. They can be local, psychogenic or organic.

The hair pass through three stages.

The last one, named Telogen effluvium, is a normal period in the hair’s life , when the dead hair will fall. This is the most common  hair loss , and it’s seasonal , being observed mostly in the fall.

Firstly, alopecia can be hereditary, especially in middle age men, which means if the father was bald , the boys will be too. This kind of hair loss is influenced by an excess of testosterone.This can be treatable with anti androgen treatment and hair transplant. 

Secondly, could be after a chemotherapy or radiotherapy for a cancer. This hair loss is reversible.

Thirdly,could appear after a bad anemia,  a  crash diet , or in eating disorders . The excess of  vitamin  A  and zinc  could  gave us  a hair loss too. A diet and supplements reconsideration can solve the problem.

Not to mention the endocrine illnesses involving thyroid or adrenal glands or the locally  mycosis of the scalp which can generate the hair loss.
Women can lose hair diffusely related to all hormonal imbalances in or after the pregnancy, menopause, the estrogens levels having a role in that. The excess of testosterone in a woman gave the same reaction.

Losing hair could appear in trichotilomania, when the person pull her own hair and this is psychogenic.
We can identify also alopecia areata, when a patch of hair is missing in a specific area of the scalp, the cause being also psychogenic and can be reversible with local steroid treatment.

After a severe psychogenic distress we can lose the hair completely, phenomenon named calvition and in this case there is no treatment.

     It is very important to consult a dermatologist, to find out the cause of your problem and the appropriate treatment.

An analysis made from the root of the hair can be a good idea. A routine blood test, to find out the blood count  and also a hormone dosage can be  a good idea.  

   A life, avoiding and managing the stress, with a balance diet, taking supplements (selenium , zinc , vitamins B),a good exercise, a good hygiene of the scalp(medicinal shampoos), could prevent this problem, but when the case arrive, the treatment must to be related with the cause. 

Depression

   In the last two decades, the incidence of this illness is so  increasing that clearly deserves at least a  briefly approach. 

It is very important to be very attentive to ourselves, because we and our entourage are the first to observe the changes in our behaviour .

   In the most cases this illness is misdiagnosed or the patient doesn't consider to pay a visit to a doctor. Not to mention that some of us consider we just have a bad time,  this is temporary and don't look for any medical advice. 

  I will resume for you some of the most important changes in our mental health .

     Firstly, we will be sad for a long period of time , more than  2 weeks,without reason or being under the drugs influence.       
    Secondly, we will lose all interest for any pleasurable activities which we loved before . No one  from these will make you happy again. 

    Thirdly, we feel guilty all the time , with /without reason, but in general is a fabricated guilt. 

We will lose the energy to do things and have an easy fatigability on minor activities. We lose our concentration, we cannot focus on things, we cannot learn, read, we can see that very easily when the patient is an academic. We lose the attention, which means we will be easily distracted. We can have an phsychomotor instability,being in general very agitated, sweating all the time. Sleeping is very disturbed, we cannot sleep or if we sleep, we wake up in the middle of the night and cannot fall asleep again. Irritability will be just a side effect of this involuntary sleep deprivation. Eating also is a problem, eating to much or less, losing or gaining weight as in the eating disorders.  

Some patients will contemplate suicide , some of them will make a plan, and others just contemplate the idea , but this will be in general in the major depression.

   The most important triad in depression is Worthlessness-Hopelessness-Helplessness, which make the patient think he is not worth to live, he is not useful to the society, he has no hope , he is desperate, a lost cause and he cannot be helped by other peers. Not to forget, this is a treatable illness in which you can see changes in minimum 2 weeks after you begin the treatment. The compliance to the treatment is mandatory. 

Did you remark these symptoms on you for a period longer than 2 weeks? Is it anything which can relieve these symptoms?

    Maybe is the time to pay a visit to your doctor, if you remark at least five from all these symptoms and for a period longer than 2 weeks.
 Definitely, depression should not be a life sentence.