Every year when fall rolls around, society as a whole seems to have a crisp new pep in their step. Pumpkin spice lattes, dressing for cold weather, watching the leaves change and falling into the nearly three-month-long festivities that include preparing for and celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are just some of the things that seem to rejuvenate our culture when the hazy warmth and relaxation of summer ends and the crisp fall air and biting winter winds return. The spirit of giving and togetherness come together under cloudy skies and earlier nights and unite us around bonfires and fireplaces, in warm, brightly lit buildings and department store lines. But for some people, the changing of the seasons can be more hellish than hopeful.
A lot of the time, changing seasons put people into a weird funk. It isn’t always exclusive to the transition from summer to fall and winter, but that is the most common and pertinent issue in terms of the change in weather affecting mood. Regardless, no matter which seasons are coming and going, the change in weather, routine and daylight can have a significant impact upon your temperament. There is a name for this: it’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that is usually triggered by a lack of sunlight, which disrupts your biological clock and messes with your serotonin levels. According to Mental Health America, “three out of four SAD sufferers are women, and the main onset of SAD is between 18 and 30 years of age.” According to FamilyDoctor, an AAFP founded online health information resource, diagnosable SAD occurs in four percent to six percent of the population and an additional 10 percent to 20 percent of the population experience a “mild form of winter-onset SAD.”
Symptoms of SAD are also typical of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), which makes SAD more difficult to diagnose. Major symptoms of SAD are: sad, anxious or “empty” feelings, feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism, feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness, irritability, restlessness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy, fatigue and decreased energy, difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions, difficulty sleeping or oversleeping, changes in weight and thoughts of death or suicide. Other than experiencing many or most of these symptoms, in order to be diagnosed with SAD (as opposed to MDD or other types of depression), as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), for at least two consecutive years you must have experienced depression that begins during a specific season every year, depression that ends during a specific season every year, no episodes of depression during the season in which you experience a normal mood and many more seasons of depression than seasons without depression over the lifetime of your illness.
If you believe that you are suffering from SAD, the first thing you should do is seek professional help. This includes going in for an evaluation and could lead to treatment of SAD with the aid of antidepressants (to help regulate serotonin levels) or therapy. In the case of SAD, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a type of therapy that is mostly used to help treat patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), has been found to be the most effective form of therapy because it directly works with patients evaluating and combating their negative thoughts and behaviors in terms of motivation as opposed to deeper cause (why am I sad versus what caused me to be sad). If seeking professional help is out of your reach there are still many ways in which you can help alleviate some of your symptoms and help remedy the severity of the disorder. Light therapy is said to reduce symptoms by up to 80 percent in those with SAD and it simply entails sitting in front of an intense light for 15-20 minutes a day. Sunbathing and exercising outdoors are two other methods of treatment that remedy reclusive behaviors as well as increases activity levels and exposure to sunlight. Lastly, working to improve your diet and Vitamin D intake will help to assuage SAD symptoms by increasing your levels of self care, improving the wellbeing of your body in terms of healthy food intake and by supplementing Vitamin D levels, which are directly related to your lack-of-light related problems.
Whether you believe that someone you know is suffering from SAD or if you believe that you yourself might have SAD, it is important to remember three things:
- Mental illness is not a bad thing; it is just as valid as any physical illness and requires just as much attention and treatment.
- Seeking help does not make you weak or crazy; seeking help allows you to become a stronger person because you are admitting that you need help and actively working to fix or lessen the intensity of your problem.
- Lastly, if you believe someone you know is suffering from SAD or any other mental illness, it is important to remember that you must remain sensitive to their situation and needs, because though you might have their best interest in mind, it may not be realistic or healthy for them to work within those guidelines.
And as always, be safe, be aware, and destigmatize mental illness.
*If you are a student at KU, there is a Counseling and Psychological Service (CAPS) available to you. Visit caps.ku.edu for more information.