I Have Severe Mood Swings Over Things Like My Hair

Reader’s Question

I have severe mood swings and I get mad at things that don’t matter like my hair. I hold up everybody trying to make my hair look right, and before I leave the house I have to say I know my hair looks like crap. I can’t hug anybody or say I love you without feeling weird. I feel that everyone hates me and I don’t want to leave my house.

Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

What you are describing is a combination of stress and depression. Depression makes us very sensitive to everything around us — including our appearance, opinions of our friends, and small comments made by others. We take everything very personally. Our self-esteem becomes very poor and we feel we are unattractive, unintelligent, and unloved. These feelings become so strong that we begin feeling others are thinking badly of us — even strangers. This causes us to avoid leaving the home as we feel others are judging us in a bad way.

Depression and stress are very common and can be treated. I recommend discussing your situation and feelings with a trusted member of your family or your family physician. I’d read about depression and stress on this website and take a few of the screening tests. The best way to treat this situation is with a combination of counseling and an antidepressant medication — if you have the physical symptoms of depression such as rapid mind speed, poor concentration, fatigue, sleep problems, etc.

Your situation is not related to your hair or your appearance. Your brain is tormenting you with negative and bad thoughts, something we always find in depression. On the good side, this situation is easily treated.