I Have Mild OCD and Keep Shaking My Hair, Looking To See How Many Fall Out

Hey Guys,

I’m 32 years old and starting to show signs of thinning hair at the very front of my scalp and some spots behing that. The only relative I have who has experienced hair loss was a maternal great-uncle.

The onset seemed very sudden- I would find around 20 hairs in the sink every time I groomed. I have in the past been diagnosed with a case of mild OCD (Doc used the adjective “mild”), and so I promptly became, you guessed it- obsessed. Every time I groomed I would shake my hair to see if any hair was coming out. For about three weeks my hair responded by giving me 20+ hairs at the bottom of the sink every time I would shake it. Also, I noticed increased dandruff-type stuff and skin irritation on my scalp.

Now that I see some thinning, my hair has stopped shedding as easily as it did, although the dandruff has remained at higher than usual levels. I’m not finding the same amount of hair in the sink. Maybe two or three hairs when I shake it.

I’ve been under alot of stress and dealing with anxiety issues for a couple of years now. My wife says that I habitually run my fingers through my hair, though we both agree I stop short of pulling it. My questions are: could my hair loss be anxiety related? Could running your fingers through your hair as a nervous habit cause hair loss? Finally, has the fact that it has stopped shedding at the same rate indicate that I’m no longer interuppting my hairs natural cycle?

I’m keeping my hands away from my hair and hoping that some stress management will help it regrow. Thanks for your time.

Stress can cause hair loss in some people who have genetically sensitive hair that goes into telogen in response to stress or anxiety. I find this more common in women, who usually regrow the hair that they lost from stress. Stress management will likely help. Running your fingers through your hair, provided that you are not pulling on the hair, will not cause you to lose hair.