Sam Applegarth, a 31-year-old PE teacher from the UK, took his own life in Dubai last year. He was someone who seemed full of life—he loved teaching, loved sports, and had just started this new chapter in the UAE. His death has left everyone who knew him stunned and grieving. He had been quietly dealing with a lot of anxiety about hair loss for years. Even after a hair transplant and taking milder medications that didn’t cause him issues, he still wasn’t at peace about it.
In the months before his death, he started taking a drug called dutasteride. It's not actually licensed in the UK for hair loss, but people still find ways to get it, often online. It’s stronger than the usual meds like finasteride, and the scary part is that there just isn’t enough solid info out there on what it might do to your mental health.
The Risks Nobody Talks About
A 31-year-old teacher obsessed with going bald has killed himself in Dubai
— Make Britain Great Again (@UkandNireland) June 7, 2025
This is a really tragic story
The PE teacher had been worrying about going bald since the age of 22; he took his own life after taking a powerful unlicensed drug in Dubai.
The coroner's verdict suicide. pic.twitter.com/mFqE1wAWNu
The thing is, dutasteride might help with hair growth, but it’s not approved for that use in a lot of places. And what makes it even more worrying is that doctors don’t really know the full effects it can have on your mental state. With drugs like finasteride, there are warnings about mood swings, depression—even suicidal thoughts. But dutasteride? Not as much research, not as many warnings. And that’s a big problem.
Sam didn’t tell his doctor he was taking it. He also hadn’t mentioned feeling suicidal in the weeks before. That’s what makes this so hard to grasp. It wasn’t like he was reaching out or showing signs, at least not ones anyone noticed. His girlfriend later shared how much he struggled with this one insecurity, even though, to others, it didn’t seem like a big deal.
A Wake-Up Call About Mental Health and Appearance Pressure
This whole situation feels like a warning. A lot of people—especially young men—go through silent battles over stuff like hair loss. It might seem small, but it can really mess with how someone sees themselves. And when you mix that with unlicensed meds bought online and no doctor checking in, things can go badly really fast.
Sam’s story has opened up a bigger conversation. His girlfriend is urging people not to ignore the mental side of hair loss and to be super careful about what they’re taking. She also talked about how there needs to be more awareness of how these kinds of drugs can affect someone emotionally, not just physically.
His family and friends have since started fundraising in his memory, hoping to help others who might be struggling but not saying anything out loud.
