If you have experienced hair loss or are currently going bald, it's important to see your doctor to find a cause. It may be a product of cancer treatments or alopecia, or you may have an underlying disease that's causing your hair loss.  Your doctor may order blood tests to assess hormone levels that can cause hair loss.  If you are undergoing cancer treatments, your doctor may be able to tell you if your treatments can cause hair loss.  Your doctor may also be able to prescribe you anti-depressants to help you overcome feelings of depression and anxiety for your hair loss. In some cases, your hair may never grow back. Although it make take a few months or longer, learning to embrace your baldness can help you cope with and overcome the condition.  Embracing your baldness won't happen overnight, in part because hair loss is often devastating. Gradually allow yourself to get used to your condition. For example, don't wear a wig, hat, or scarf at night or one day a week. You can build up to never using an aid or only on occasions when it's absolutely necessary.  There are different ways to help yourself embrace your hair loss. Consider giving yourself daily positive affirmations such as “I am strong and beautiful.” This can help bolster your confidence and may help you more readily accept your baldness. Consider taking an online course on how to cope. For example, the American Cancer Society offers several courses on how to best cope with self-esteem issues related to cancer.  There are online forums from other groups such as the National Alopecia Areata Foundation which can put you in touch with other alopecia sufferers who can help bolster your confidence and accept your baldness. Even though most people are socialized, there are often still social stigmas attached to baldness, especially in women. These stigmas can cause you shame, stress, anxiety, or depression. Addressing the negative connotations and your own feelings associated can help you move forward and lead a normal life.  Many people feel shame and embarrassment when they first experience hair loss. This is a completely normal initial reaction, but you should know that hair loss is fairly common and you don't need to feel this way. Seeing a counselor, doctor, or friend can help you deal with your feelings. Joining a support group of others who suffer from baldness can offer you unconditional support from others who understand what you're experiencing. It can also help you effectively deal with the various aspects of the condition. Depending on the cause of your hair loss, there are support groups that can help you deal with a disease and the emotional side effects that come with losing your hair as a product of it. For example, cancer and alopecia support groups can offer significant support on this issue. An important part of living with hair loss is talking with people about your baldness. Being open about your condition can help avoid uncomfortable questions or looks and may help you be more at ease as well.  Being open about your baldness or thinning hair is the best way to cope rather than fretting about it. When others realize that you're okay with your hair loss, then they will likely be, too.  It may also help to be open about what is causing your baldness. Sometimes simply saying something such as “I'm going through cancer treatments and they've caused me to lose my hair” can help relieve tension in situation or even minimize unwelcome glances from other people.

Summary: See your doctor. Embrace being bald. Be aware of social stigmas. Join a support group for sufferers of hair loss. Communicate with people.


After you have practiced as an RN for 2 years or more, get certified as a psychiatric nurse or psychiatric nurse practitioner with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or equivalent organization in your country. In the U.S., certification is required in many states, and recommended in others.  To qualify for the certification, have the equivalent of 2 years full-time work as a licensed RN. Show that you have completed least 2,000 hours of clinical practice in psychiatric–mental health nursing in the last 3 years. Use your BSN, MSN, or continuing education transcripts to show that you have taken at least 30 hours of continuing education in psychiatric-mental health nursing in the last 3 years. In the United States, requirements for this certification will vary depending on your state. After you have your BSN and RN license, consider pursuing a graduate degree to become either a psychiatric nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist. You will be better paid and have more responsibilities. To get an MSN, apply to highly-ranked graduate programs. Then complete a practicum under supervision to earn certification as a specialist in child, adolescent, or adult psychiatric nursing. There are some MSN programs, often called "entry-level," that do not require you to have a BSN as long as you already have an undergraduate degree. These programs typically last 3 years rather than 2. Only 1% of U.S. nurses have a doctoral degree, but it only takes 2-4 years of further study, depending on your program, after you complete your MSN to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or PhD.  With an advanced degree, you will study how diseases and mental illnesses progress from a clinical point of view. If you are interested in education and research, a doctoral degree will allow you to become a Nurse Educator or a Nurse Researcher.
Summary: Earn certification as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Consider pursuing a Masters of Science in Nursing degree. Get your doctorate if you are interested in research and education.