VIDEO: Exploring how alopecia areata impacts mental health

Editor’s note: This is a previously posted video, and the below is an automatically generated transcript to be used for informational purposes. Please notify editor@healio.com if there are concerns regarding accuracy of the transcription.

Many studies actually have been done looking into the mental health affecting alopecia areata. And because alopecia areata affects any population all across the globe, it is a chronic condition. It is something that affects people in childhood and early adulthood, such a vulnerable time. So it definitely impacts mental health in some patients to a smaller degree, in some in a really, you know, wider way. It can affect their self image, their body image, their social and occupational issues can arise in certain people can cause identity crisis in patients. But all besides that depression and anxiety new onset in nature has been seen to be higher in alopecia areata patients than what patients who don't have it. In some cases, there has been hospitalizations associated with this type of depression and anxiety and more commonly prescriptions of anti-anxiety drugs like SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants have been employed according to the studies that have looked at this. And less commonly but we will also encounter as providers that such patients may have lower satisfaction rates available with at least the previous treatments that were out there and also their expectations that need to be met with this condition, which is again, chronic at impacts male mental health. So all of that has to be taken into consideration treating such patients.