With the holiday season coming to a close, have you stopped to wonder if you’ve felt more under the weather than usual—especially during the fall or winter seasons? If you have, there is a chance it might have something to do with a condition that goes by many names: winter depression, nature depressive disorder with seasonal patterns or abbreviated medically as DSM-5.
Commonly referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), it is a serious medical condition caused by the change of weather, namely the reduction of sunlight during daylight hours. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to treat yourself for SAD even before the warmer seasons arrive to naturally relieve depressive symptoms.
“According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), approximately 5% of adults experience SAD, where women experience it more commonly than men,” says Union City-based psychiatrist Jacqueline Magno. “Though it mostly appears among adults between their 20s and 30s, it can even happen to children and teens, and among people with personal or family histories of mood disorders. In very rare instances, some people can experience SAD in the summer as well.”
‘Though [Seasonal Affective Disorder] mostly appears among adults between their 20s and 30s, it can even happen to children and teens, and among people with personal or family histories of mood disorders. In very rare instances, some people can experience SAD in the summer as well.’
– Dr. Jacqueline Magno
During winter, reduced sunlight can affect a person’s biological clock and their circadian rhythm as it lowers serotonin levels and increases melatonin, which causes hypersomnia, or sleeping more than usual.
People experience low energy, decreased concentration, low motivation resulting in isolation from others and less engaging in activities they used to find pleasurable. Some cases show people eating more around this season, resulting in weight gain, which could also cause a drop in self esteem.
“People in Alaska experience SAD more often than people living in places like California or Florida,” Magno says. “Sometimes people who live there or in similar areas travel to other areas to escape the cold. It’s almost similar to how birds migrate to warmer areas in the winter.”
Magno has been helping both children and adults with pressing issues like coping with depression at Kaiser Permanente for over 20 years. Solutions that she’s proposed to help people deal with SAD include making time to take in as much sunlight as possible by stepping outside, and reducing the exposure to screens. Maintaining a healthy sleep schedule and limiting the intake of caffeine also helps.
‘People in Alaska experience SAD more often than people living in places like California or Florida. Sometimes people who live there or in similar areas travel to other areas to escape the cold. It’s almost similar to how birds migrate to warmer areas in the winter.’
– Dr. Jacqueline Magno
Staying active through activities such as baking, puzzles or any other form of hobby that can provide some sort of challenge or reward allows you to stay alert and keep your brain engaged. Perhaps the most important tip to have is to keep an involved support system in place, which can consist of a network of family, parents and close friends.
Should cases escalate further beyond what home remedies can provide, doctors may provide clinical care, personalized treatments or offer other forms of lifestyle changes. They may recommend anti-depressants or vitamin supplements, especially ones that contain plenty of Vitamin D.
Light therapy, where patients enter an office and expose themselves to artificial white light, has also been proven to help reset a person’s internal clock. However, having experienced cases where the bipolar disorders might trigger from light therapy, Magno advises to be careful when recommending this to patients with a history of such disorders.
More information about the APA can be found through their website at psychiatry.org. Hotline numbers to call for specific issues include the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at 1.800.662.4357, and The National Alliance for Mental Illness hotline at 1.800.950.6264, who also offers free, confidential one on one support through their website at nami.org.
