St Johns Wort and Depression?

[Breaking Bald]

Being completely honest here, my depression is spiraling out of control. I think I've always been prone to it but hair loss it making it a million times worse. I no longer want to go out or socialise with my friends. I suffer pretty bad insomnia and mood swings as well.

I don't want to go on and on about it but I don't feel like myelf anymore and everything just seems to keep going wrong. I was recently informed about St Johns Wort and wondered if anybody here has tried it?

Searching it on the internet is giving me a massive headache, so much conflicting opinions as with anything, so frustrating. I can't find any solid answers. It's basically a powerful herbal anti-depressant.

[amibald]

Being completely honest here, my depression is spiraling out of control. I think I've always been prone to it but hair loss it making it a million times worse. I no longer want to go out or socialise with my friends. I suffer pretty bad insomnia and mood swings as well.

I don't want to go on and on about it but I don't feel like myelf anymore and everything just seems to keep going wrong. I was recently informed about St Johns Wort and wondered if anybody here has tried it?

Searching it on the internet is giving me a massive headache, so much conflicting opinions as with anything, so frustrating. I can't find any solid answers. It's basically a powerful herbal anti-depressant.

Hey man, i'm 19 and just out of a big depression ( more as a result of my anxiety disorder...and hair loss too) as opposed to 'chemical depression'.

Honestly you just need to start doing shit. I started lifting weights and stuff, trying to pull me out, but kept thinking ' what's the point when i'm gonna be bald' and shit like that. Just keep pushing through and doing stuff, because eventually you stop thinking about hair loss, about your lifestyle, and start just feeling good about actually hitting some goals.

Trust me it's hard to give a fck about hair loss when you've just melted off stress in weights, or throwing some cnt twice your weight in judo.

[Breaking Bald]

I do lift, honestly I have tried all sorts of things. Hair loss is dominating my whole mind now, I've lost sight of all my goals and ambitions. I think I have an actual chemical unbalance. So I think meds are the only thing that is going tow work for me, but I am very reluctant to try them thus the idea of St John's Wort.

[amibald]

I do lift, honestly I have tried all sorts of things. Hair loss is dominating my whole mind now, I've lost sight of all my goals and ambitions. I think I have an actual chemical unbalance. So I think meds are the only thing that is going tow work for me, but I am very reluctant to try them thus the idea of St John's Wort.

I'd try SSRI's if anything for depression, they do work for a lot of people, and I may be going on them for my OCD.

Hair loss is a funny thing, but you should just remember how many dudes are going bald too, i'm NW2 at 19, and a few of my best mates are the same/worse of than me.

You've probably heard this time and time again but i've never seen a bald dude with good facial hair etc and thought ' ugly knt' . I strongly believe everyone can be 6/10.

My advice would be speak to your GP about a course of meds along with some CBT maybe.Do you think there's a larger problem of depression, or is hair loss the main thing? I know when I found out about my hair loss it was absolutely devastating, far worse than any of my ocd/anxiety had been. Took months of ruminating and being sick to the stomach about it to just distract myself from it.

p.s. regarding hair loss and the low self esteem that comes with it, i recommend http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-L...0605354&sr=8-1 , it's not the holy grail but your thinkign about hair loss won't be so black and white, more balanced and less stressful!

[Breaking Bald]

I'm trying to avoid majorly strong ant-depressants such as SSRI's, I am very weary of them. I know many people are going bald though, however it seems mostly all of my mates still have perfectly full heads of hair.

Depression/Bi-polar runs in my family I guess. But I went through some nasty things when I was 18 -21, my mother tried to commit suicide and another family member went through some destructive addictions. This was emotional torture and I went through some seriously dark depressions. This was countered by smoking a lot of weed and partying a lot.

I'm 22 (almost 23) now and recently my sister who went through the addictions started to get her lie on track and mother has recovered pretty well by this stage. And then my hair loss decided to kick in at full speed about a year ago. Pretty typical really...It started at 20 but now it has gotten really bad and is continuing.

It's just one thing after another, I can't get a break. I used to have my dreams, goals and ideas on my mind everyday. I had a clear direction of where I was going. Now it's all been shattered. I just feel like a zombie most of the time.

[amibald]

I'm trying to avoid majorly strong ant-depressants such as SSRI's, I am very weary of them. I know many people are going bald though, however it seems mostly all of my mates still have perfectly full heads of hair.

Depression/Bi-polar runs in my family I guess. But I went through some nasty things when I was 18 -21, my mother tried to commit suicide and another family member went through some destructive addictions. This was emotional torture and I went through some seriously dark depressions. This was countered by smoking a lot of weed and partying a lot.

I'm 22 (almost 23) now and recently my sister who went through the addictions started to get her lie on track and mother has recovered pretty well by this stage. And then my hair loss decided to kick in at full speed about a year ago. Pretty typical really...It started at 20 but now it has gotten really bad and is continuing.

It's just one thing after another, I can't get a break. I used to have my dreams, goals and ideas on my mind everyday. I had a clear direction of where I was going. Now it's all been shattered. I just feel like a zombie most of the time.

sounds to me like you need to get the sharpness/pain of the depression away first, before you touch accepting hair loss.

I know what you mean , at one point I was top in my country for exams, year after year, then when I went to university I broke down and couldn't function/read/work because of anxiety, After months of just being anxious over nothing, nausea and churning in my stomach all day everyday, I got a grip on the anxiety and it went away. then I discovered hair loss I actually had OCD which just made it worse, then while accepting OCD I found out I had hair loss! and gyno! and some bitch dumped me too!. I had to drop out of university and get CBT, which I'm still in.

Despite still looking around on hair loss forums, it doesn't bother me as much now, pretty sure we'll have something in 10 years anyway, but even if not, meh.

[Exodus]

As above. I mean in day-to-day life I seem to get by fine. What worries me is the issue of nights out. But then today I was wearing a hat on the bus and just thought f*** it, if people are gonna see me, they see me for me.

Im leaning to the 'meh' stage. Although I do wish I was fitter...gym time soon!

[baldy1990]

listen i have the same age as you and it's not that you have bipolar cause a family member of yours have,trust me i know it ,i know how you feel for the last months i am tortured so i know very well and it only gets worse that's why i decided to start a therapy,i am sure that i'm worse than you cause i have a history of depression,i am to the point that i cant do anything and over the day i have panic attacks cause of this.We must win the fight .I have ocd too

[clandestine]

Breaking, you should honestly no guard your head if hair loss is causing you this much trauma. I was worse off before I did so. I'm still losing, but it's less noticeable the shorter you go.

Time to fire your hair; your hair is quitting on you.

[clandestine]

And therapy, for sure. So helpful.

[BigThinker]

I'm with amibald here. I'll save the lifestyle change stuff that I'm frequently ranting about on this forum. I guess I just want to re-enforce what he said and offer to help in any way I can.

Depression sucks. I was lucky to only have a mild, temporary stint with it. But, I can still relate and say with confidence I've been on "both sides of the fence", if you will.

Get the junk food out of your life too. I started baking fresh vegetables (everything from brussel sprounds to carrots to potatoes) every night with a some fresh protein (chicken, ground beef) because it's healthy and easy for a bozo like me with no cooking experience to perform.

I actually thought it was interesting that you said you got a headache from researching St Johns Wort. I get the same feeling researching finasteride. I decided to just say f**k it and order me some. I think a good attitude, careful dosage, and otherwise health lifestyle combats sides for the most part. Most the dudes I see ranting about fin sides on this site don't come off as particularly intelligent or stable people in the first place. I won't let them deter me from trying a potential Godsend.

[clandestine]

And don't go on SSRI's.

Also know you're not alone, even if it seems that way. All my mates have full heads of hair too. I'm 20years old, NW3.

[Exodus]

As above. Im a diffuse with like a NW5 pattern. Im sure Fin and Minox could thicken...but Im yet to do it :S

Im probably similar to you in terms of current hairloss, but remember you asked me about CBT? Did you do it in the end? It's definitely worth a look into, helped me a lot.

With the hair, Id advise no guard and a gym, Im gonna do it at some point, heck we all might at some point unless we get transplants.

[Aames]

As above. Im a diffuse with like a NW5 pattern. Im sure Fin and Minox could thicken...but Im yet to do it :S

Im probably similar to you in terms of current hairloss, but remember you asked me about CBT? Did you do it in the end? It's definitely worth a look into, helped me a lot.

With the hair, Id advise no guard and a gym, Im gonna do it at some point, heck we all might at some point unless we get transplants.

Duta+RU/CB=Hair forever. Or, at least, that's what people are theorizing.

And yeah Breaking, I know we get into it but I know how much depression sucks. I'm going to repeat what other people have said, if you refuse to ever touch fin, it's probably best for you to come to terms with your hair loss and just shave it. Especially if you're NW3+.

EDIT: I forgot to mention; if you do go down the shaved head route and admit defeat, you need to get as juicy as possible to pull off the look. Look into roids, or maybe some prohoromones if you want to stay on the safe(r) side.

[Breaking Bald]

Aames, steroids? Really? Are you having a laugh?

I've shaved my hair super short and I am finding that hard enough to get used to, so I doubt the no guard approach is such a good idea. I'm finding it very difficult to adjust. 2+ years ago I had the thickest, most awesome hair. I've always been known to have crazy thick and wild hair, the sudden contrast is just to much to come to terms with at the moment. Being a musician as well, I just feel like I have lost my identity and image completely. It's all turned to shit in such a short time.

So no ones tried St Johns Wort then? I'm gonna try it, I think the first thing I need to do is conquer my depression as suggested.