WINTER BLUES
With the weather getting colder and turning clocks back an hour, it is estimated that millions of Americans will or already are experiencing what is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or Major Depressive Disorder with a Seasonal Pattern.
Many people undergo short periods of time when they feel sad or unlike their usual selves, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and sometimes, these mood changes will occur when the seasons change. People will feel 'down' or have the 'winter blues' when the days get shorter in the fall and winter and feel better in the spring when longer daylight hours return.
Then, other times, these mood changes can become more serious and affect how a person feels, thinks and behaves. If someone notices significant changes in their mood and behavior when the seasons change, they could be experiencing SAD.
“The more common symptoms are, of course, low mood, but it also comes with a sense of hopelessness, like [nothing] really matters or worthlessness. There's also loss of interest in the activities that you normally enjoy, low energy and fatigue,” explained Dr. Joanne Sotelo, a psychiatrist at Baylor Scott & White. “We also see increased sleep, more cravings for sweets — so there's often an increase in weight — and difficulty with concentrating and even a little bit of a social withdrawal. It does have a slightly different presentation than what we typically see in a major depressive disorder.”
In most cases, SAD symptoms will begin in the late fall or early winter and diminish during the spring and summer, known as winter-pattern SAD or winter depression. Other people experience depressive symptoms during the spring and summer months; while it is less common, summer-pattern SAD still occurs for some people.
According to Sotelo, the symptoms for summer-pattern SAD are more “revved up” to where people can experience more anxiety, irritability, restlessness, insomnia and decreased appetite.
There are shorter days with light in the winter, causing the circadian rhythm — the body’s 24-hour cycle of physical, mental and behavioral changes — to change, therefore, people are not getting as much sunlight or Vitamin D during the winter season, explained National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Central Texas Director of Programs Anna Bunker. But, in the summer, it's the opposite; the days are longer and it is often too hot to spend prolonged periods of time outside, which can also result in a Vitamin D deficiency and not enough exposure to sunlight.
“Our brain has what we call a circadian rhythm, which is kind of like the sleep energy clock that we have in our brain and that is affected during this winter months because the days last are not as long. It's the diminished light exposure. We need the light. We need it to feel well. That affects our serotonin levels, which is the chemical that's mostly associated with our mood,” Sotelo said. “And then, it also affects our melatonin levels, which we know in terms of skin color, but then it's also affecting our energy levels. That's why we have that sense of fatigue and lethargy. So, those are things that many people don't necessarily know and some people associate it with the stressors that come with this time of the year, with the holiday parties, all the family gatherings, all the external expectations and we also need to think of it as a physiological change in our bodies and our brains.”
To combat the symptoms associated with SAD, people can pay attention to lifestyle modification, as there is a seasonal component with it, explained Sotelo. Spending more time outdoors, getting more natural sunlight/Vitamin D and maintaining a healthy diet with exercise can help.
Additionally, if it does become more severe, individuals are encouraged to see their primary care physician or a psychiatrist, according to Sotelo. Others may also benefit from specific light therapy, psychotherapy or medication.
“Seasonal Affective Disorder is common and you are not alone! There are ways to navigate your emotions, please connect with a mental health provider if you are needing to seek treatment,” Bunker said. “NAMI Central Texas is also here as a free resource to you.”
For more information about SAD, visit www.nimh.nih.gov/ health/publications/seasonalaffective- disorder. To find resources that could help, learn more about NAMI Central Texas at www.namicentraltx.org.
