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Why is our mood in this season “spoiled”? What are the reasons many of us suffer from depression? What symptoms will trouble us and how can we feel better?
As the days shorten and social gatherings decrease, our mood becomes more depressive, experts warn.
The end of summer, the start of a new school year, ever-shorter days, “closing up” and a return to routine — all of this represents a particularly stressful transitional period for the body. Combined with disruptions of the body’s biological clocks, one can expect feelings of melancholy to take hold and our mood to be poor.
Seasonal affective disorder
Gradually, as the days continue to shorten, melancholy and mood disorders sometimes appear in more serious forms, such as seasonal affective disorder, or “winter depression,” also known as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). This phenomenon can occur in about one in 20 adults, but experts point out that melancholic moods in this season do not spare children either.
As Dr. Amit Etkin, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Stanford University, points out, September is an especially dangerous period for children who are transitioning from a carefree routine full of walks and play to a structured daily schedule, a busy program and many obligations.
Winter depression
Dr. Etkin also warns that the number of summer activities that often distract people from possible mental health problems disappears in autumn and winter, leaving room for any mental health issues to reemerge.
In more serious cases, the mildly depressive mood in this season can develop into something more severe, the so-called winter depression or SAD syndrome.
Symptoms of seasonal depression include: decreased energy, sleepiness, overeating, weight gain, an intense craving for carbohydrates, and social withdrawal. Simply put, the affected person feels bad and is more depressed than usual.
Peaks in December
It usually begins in mid or late September and can peak in December. It is estimated that this condition affects 5% of the adult population, and almost every fifth adult over eighteen reports mood swings and changes during the cold months.
According to experts, those most prone and vulnerable are people who already suffer from mental illness, young people, women, and people living in areas with little winter sunshine.
Biological clocks play a key role in how the alternation of light and dark affects mood. “Light in our environment influences our biological clocks,” explains Dr. Etkin, adding that some people are more sensitive to changes in circadian rhythms than others, and these people more often suffer from emotional seasonal affective disorder during cold winter months.
How to alleviate it?
Although there is no specific method to cope with winter depression, we can take certain steps that will mitigate its effects.
For children, it is advisable for parents to notice any sudden changes in their behavior. If a child behaves moody at the start of the school year or tends to withdraw for a prolonged period, parents can seek medical help.
For adults who feel increasingly depressed over time, the following non-medical measures may help:
–Brighten the interior environment of your home or office as much as possible.
-Maintain a regular sleep schedule if possible, and go to bed at the same time every day.
-Exercise, preferably outdoors, 3–4 hours before sleep.
-Enjoy the sun as much as possible and go outside at every opportunity.
Exposure to light is considered key to improving mood, so phototherapy (which involves exposure to artificial bright light similar to sunlight) is one of the treatment methods for winter depression, practiced mainly in northern countries.
Source: ygeiamou.gr
