Neuroendocrine perspectives in alopecia areata: does stress play a role?

Until recently, the popular notion that psychoemotional stress can have an impact on hair growth has been treated with skepticism and assigned to the realm of folklore by many authorities. Yet it has long been appreciated that episodes of alopecia areata (AA) have occurred after severely stressful life events (Reinhold, 1960; Whitlock, 1976). This has triggered debates about whether AA should be considered a psychosomatic disorder (Misery and Rousset, 2001; Willemsen et al., 2009).