The process may be triggered by emotional stress. Kligman has documented five cases in which hair was lost after profound, severe strain. In one, a prisoner who had been tried for murder escaped conviction three times on technicalities but was found guilty at his fourth trial. After two months, he started to lose his hair. Any psychological technique that addresses stress and personal turmoil is worth a trial for this condition.
Emotional factors are frequent.
Wittkower and Russell found that patients with alopecia fell into three groups. In one-fourth, hair loss had been triggered by a specific traumatic event. There was no clear-cut emotional problem or stress in the remaining group.27 Traumatic events that precipitate hair loss often involve threats to the person or those who are close to him. Among young children, Melman and Griesemer found a consistent pattern linking the loss of hair with other losses, particularly the loss of love. The same pattern may occur later in life.