Readers Respond to Suicidal 18 Year Old
We received a lot of emails about last week’s post — I’m Suicidal Over Losing My Hair at 18 Years Old! — and I wanted to share this one with the rest of the community.
Dr. Rassman,
I read this blog regularly and when I read your post yesterday about a young man dealing with suicidal thoughts, I had to write in.
Young people out there need to understand that they have options but doing something drastic (like a transplant at 18) years old or worse (harming yourself) only eliminates options. I came to your office last year young, scared and anxious about hair loss myself. I was convinced that things were only going to get worse, but a year ago there wasn’t a hair bulk analyzer or A Cell. Imagine, just a year later and suddenly I am hearing about all these innovations. Maybe I overreacted?
It is amazing what happens when you take a deep breathe, research your options and gain a little perspective. I was given great advice by the doctors at NHI and they were words I needed to hear. Hair loss still bugs me but I now have every option open to me because I did not jump into a rash decision and young guys (I am 25 and empathize with you) need to understand that, just because you are not happy with what the mirror is showing, it doesn’t mean you can’t be happy ever again.
This is not the end of the world. Balding doesn’t rob you of your vision, your hearing or your overall health. This young man still has eyes to see the world, ears to listen to wonderful music and a capable body that can laugh, love and live. Getting a quality doctor to help you deal with your problem will keep you from being a slave to your hair and will help you get on with living.
While most of the emails (and comments) had positive messages of support, I felt the above email perfectly expresses what many compassionate people relate to. Thank you for writing.
I had moments in my life as well where I thought the classic “why is this happening to me?” or “I don’t deserve this, I’m a good guy” but in the grand scheme of things and I don’t know what will happen to my hair over the years but this is a struggle I have to deal with especially at such a young age. I too, was thinning in high school after stressful years battling a terrible psychological problem that made me feel suicidal at moments as well and I came out of that only to find my hair thinning (probably exacerbated by my psychological problems) and could not believe that it was happening to me.
Yes, it is a struggle but SO many people are right there with you and with all the new emerging technology, medication, research I can almost certainly say you and I will not have to live our lifes bald. As he said, Acell, research with growth factors and stem cells, companies like Histogen and Aderans are working to give us the hair we used to have back. So keep your head up and try to be positive about every aspect of you life and be grateful of what you have. Make a consultation with Dr. Rassman or another qualified doctor and find out what options are available to you, you might find that you can have that hair you want back in your life but as I’ve realized with most things in life and hairloss is not an exception, we must have patience for the things that take time.
Good luck and all the best in your journey, just remember things will get better in time.