Baldness : a diagnostic physical trait in mood disorders - sarvada sign

Physical traits and features, i.e., body build, colour of eye etc. are often utilized in making diagnosis of psychiatric and physical disorders. A study was carried out to investigate the relationship between baldness and mood disorders on psychiatric out patients, Department of Psychiatry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, and their available first degree relatives. In this study, 371 psychiatric patients and their first degree relatives were assessed and evaluated. 56.6% male bald patients were found to be suffering from mood disorders. In comparison to male patients of other psychiatric disorders, the relationship between baldness and mood disorders was found to be statistically significant (P< 0.001). Though higher percentage of female patients with mood disorders (10.9%) were observed to have baldness in comparison to a single patient with other psychiatric disorder (1.1%), the studied sample of bald female patients was too small to provide meaningful leads. When baldness was studied in selected group of first degree relatives of the index male patients, baldness was observed to be significantly more common in the first degree relatives of mood disorder patients than the first degree relatives of other psychiatric disorder patients. Baldness is being designated as "Sarvada Sign".