i have bpd and bipolar have lost alot of hair please help?

hi i am 25 years old and i have borderline personality disorder and bi polar disorder i was diagnosed 4 years ago. I am so depressed at the moment. i tried to kill myself two weeks ago by taking a bottle of valium. i did not die i just spent 8 days in the hospital. so i was on alot of medication but over the past 6 months i have stopped taking lithium, but i am still on lexapro and seroquel. so seven months ago something happened that changed my life for the worst. i lost alot of my hair. It was long about 4 inches past my sholuders. so much of it became thin and brittle and it just fell out and broke off. alot  of it was on the front of my head and alot on the left side and at the back, so just about everywhere, so i had to get it cut just above my shoulder blades.this was so hard for me as i loved my long hair and it was the only thing i liked about myself. so i tried to find out why it happened. i went to the doctor and she did a blood test and i found out i was very iron deficient and also very low vitamin D. the doctor said this is why it happened. but i had alook at the side effects of the medicince i was taking and lithium says it can make your hair thinning and brittle. also lexapro says it causes hair loss. i couldnt find anything about seroquel causing hair loss. seroquel is my main drug now, i take 300mg seroquel and 300mg seroquel xr at night. so i told my psy doctor and he said i could start tapering off my lithium, so it took me 6 months to get off of it. anyway i had a postive attuite when my hair first fell out in march this year. i was told it will grow back dont worry by the end of the year it will be back to normal. i have tried everything to help it get better. stopped taking the lithium, started to take vitimins, taking iron liquid, eating lots of red meat and eating very healthly, different shampoo, satin pillowcase. You name it i have tried it. anyway its now october and about two weeks ago i looked in the mirror and relised that to spite all my effort the hair at the front of my head(on the sides) hasnt actuley growen much at all, mayby 1cm. at the back its probably only grown 3cm and its still quite thin. i just broke down because i cant believe its the end of the year almost and its hardley better. Also i relised that i probaly will never be able to have children either. I am married and my husband wants kids now. i can hardly look after myself and dont want to bring a child into this world if i cant look after it. I am also a hairdresser so losing my hair was so hard as i have to look at hair all day. anyway my marraige has been very rocky with me having bpd. i just couldnt take it anymore so i decieded it would be best for everyone if i died. well i didnt die so now what. i cant go on like this, what should i do? i wear clip in hair extensions to hide what has fallen out. i feel like a such a fake wearing them.will my hair ever grow back? it must be growing very slowly. i have noticed it grows about 1cm every two months which is not normal. my husband says i need to get over it, i have tried but i cant help but feel depressed. i dont except my hair to be as good as it was if the front would grow it would make me so happy. anyway please help me

[dmhunt112]

You have had a tough year.  Sorry to hear about your suicide attempt.  Being that depressed is no fun at all.  I know that it all seems very tiresome for you based on your post.  Hair and looks are important but the most important thing to consider now is your health.  Take a step back and try to focus on how to get feeling better mentally and physically.  I know it is a very hard thing as I have BPD and also severe recurring depression.  You need to focus on one thing at  a time so that you can have some successes in your healing.  Find someone, a friend or family, that will support you and your issues over the long term.  How is your thinking on the Seroquel?  Are you still having problems with staying alert?  Are you keeping a journal of your progress.  This is so important to help realize your progress as you heal.  You will not always be this way and it is temporary.  Let's get you focused on the areas beside your hair.  It will grow out, you know this,  It may be slow but it will.  Cancer patients have the same issues and feelings about the hair loss.  You may seek some support from them.

Hang in there and feel free to throw your problems at me.  You can get through this with your family.  I have and it has been hard but it is doable.
  

[dmhunt112]

You have had a tough year.  Sorry to hear about your suicide attempt.  Being that depressed is no fun at all.  I know that it all seems very tiresome for you based on your post.  Hair and looks are important but the most important thing to consider now is your health.  Take a step back and try to focus on how to get feeling better mentally and physically.  I know it is a very hard thing as I have BPD and also severe recurring depression.  You need to focus on one thing at  a time so that you can have some successes in your healing.  Find someone, a friend or family, that will support you and your issues over the long term.  How is your thinking on the Seroquel?  Are you still having problems with staying alert?  Are you keeping a journal of your progress.  This is so important to help realize your progress as you heal.  You will not always be this way and it is temporary.  Let's get you focused on the areas beside your hair.  It will grow out, you know this,  It may be slow but it will.  Cancer patients have the same issues and feelings about the hair loss.  You may seek some support from them.

Hang in there and feel free to throw your problems at me.  You can get through this with your family.  I have and it has been hard but it is doable.
  

[blackcat111]

dd

[blackcat111]

hi there. thank you for writing to me. i am seeing my psycologist on tuesday after awhile of not seeing her so hopefully she can be the person i lean on. i do have parents and i do tell them some things but i dont want to tell them how im still just as depressed as i was when i tried to kill myself. im trying to distract myself from thinking to much but its hard. i have tried writing my thoughts down before but havnt kept up with it. what should i be writing? do you have any children? is there anything that has helped you with you bpd?

[blackcat111]

hi

[Shellylynn529]

I am sorry you are going through this and feeling this way. I don't know your whole story but people with BPD have typically had a traumatic life. I know a book that has really helped me is a book by John Bradshaw, Homecoming Reclaming and Championing your Inner Child. I was diagnosed this year with BPD, OCD, PSTD, and Anxiety so I an relate to what you are going through. I would also suggest finding a mental health group that meets weekly and focuses on teaching tools for Dialectic Behavior Therapy, research says it provides good tools for people with BPD. It has been about 6 months since my last major mental health breakdown and I still feel exhausted and overwhelmed by emotions at times. The book gives a lot of insight on why we feel the way we do and gives some ideas on how to begin working through it. I found it very useful. Hope you get better soon, try to keep your head up, its a long road.

[Shellylynn529]

Also maybe look at trying to take a prenatel vitammin, they are known for promoting hair and nail growth, But dont forget stress and Anxiety can do crazy things to a person, but if you feel like something is wrong with your body, don't give up, if you have to find a doctor whol will listen and seems to want to help you. I kinda get the feeling a lot of doctors don't want to help those of us who suffer from mental illness, they just want to tell us its all in our head. Don't give up. Do some online research for disease or illness that may involve hair loss and talk to your doctor about it.