Dear Readers, 

Why Do I Feel Like This is More Than Just the Stress of Winter?

As many of us know all too well, the winter season can be particularly challenging. Many of us can relate to the experience of “winter stress” – the stress that comes from external pressures and challenges that increase during the winter season that are influenced heavily by holiday expectations, financial strain, and difficulty and dysfunctional family dynamics. Symptoms of winter stress can manifest as anxiety and overwhelm, and often dissipate once the holiday season wraps up.

However, while winter stress and winter blues are related, they are two distinct concepts. The symptoms of winter blues are more closely aligned with the experience of depression, and can become severe enough to warrant the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder with a Season Pattern (formally known as Seasonal Affective Disorder). Not too shockingly, the mental health community labels the month of December as “Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Awareness Month.”

What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and How Does It Affect Us?

This diagnosis is characterized by a cluster of symptoms, most notably, recurrent episodes of depression in late fall and winter (where there is less sunlight and colder weather), with alternating periods of typical moods during the rest of the year. During a seasonal depressive episode, some hallmark symptoms can include oversleeping (hypersomnia), overeating, weight gain (fueled by an increased craving for carbohydrates), extreme daytime fatigue, lethargy, hopelessness, lack of interest in usual activities such as socialization and sex, isolation (think hibernation), and suicidal thoughts.

Effective Treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder and Proactive Strategies to Reduce Winter Blues

As with most depressive disorders, the gold standard of treatment includes a healthy combination of antidepressant medication, evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapies, and consistent exercise. However, unlike other depressive disorders, this condition can include light therapy as a treatment modality. This type of therapy consists of regular, daily exposure to a “light box” which artificially simulates high-intensity sunlight.

If you or someone you know has a predictable seasonal pattern of altered depressed mood, there are behaviors one can engage that are within your control to plan ahead and reduce the severity, intensity, duration, and functional impact of the winter blues. Because this disorder has a specific pattern to it, those who suffer from it can prepare for it’s predictable arrival by:

1. 1. Exercising more towards the end of summer
   2. Beginning and/or re-engaging in individual therapy at the beginning of September
   3. Starting light box therapy in early October
   4. Plan a vacation to a sunny spot sometime in January
   5. Add a Vitamin D supplement to their daily regimen

Moving Forward with Hope and Compassion

I hope this brief snippet of signs, symptoms, and treatment options of Major Depressive Disorder with a Season Pattern (formally known as Seasonal Affective Disorder) has proven to be useful and helpful. At the very least, I hope to be able, through this newsletter, to spread the awareness that this experience is a real, clinically recognized condition that can significantly impact health and well being.

May we continue moving forward this winter season by choosing to be kind and compassionate with ourselves, towards ourselves, and towards others.