Long hair ,on the left side , short broken on the right. This pattern has been happening for two years . Yes my hair is coloured and I do use a straightner, the breakage starts at the crown and works down. I have bee under some stress have had three deaths in the family in three years and suffer from severe degerative disc disease.

Sounds like you need to relax a bit, why don't you try massaging and leaving olive oil into your hair like once or twice a week while listening to music for a bit. The olive oil will help repair the damage from the straightener as well as strengthen the root.

PS- I really think you should watch "What the bleep do we know", it's a 2 and a half hour movie that changed my life, hopefully it helps you too.
PPS- If that movie hits you as hard as it did me- pay it forward and let other people that you think it would help know about it too