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December 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
Do You Experience Winter or Holiday
Depression? SAD is a very real problem for some
By Dr. Tom Miller, Staff Writer
Holidays can bring the best of times
and the worst of times. There are many
opportunities for enjoyable life experiences around the holidays, including
family gatherings and parties at the
office and with friends.
For some, the holidays bring back
memories of loved ones; for others they
bring stressful life experiences. The
winter season adds shorter days and
longer nights to the mix, which leads to
depression in some individuals. Feeling
down during the holidays can be tough,
especially since you seem to be so out
of step with the world. It can seem as
though everyone else is beaming with
holiday cheer while you are feeling
lonely and depressed. Even shopping
can get some people down.
According to WebMD (2015), individuals who are experiencing depression or who have had depression in
the past need to be especially careful
when trying to cope with holiday stress.
While it might take some conscious
effort on your part, you can reduce
some of those stressors and perhaps
find the holiday spirit.
Do the winter months get you down
more than you think they should? If
so, you might have seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective
disorder (SAD). Seasonal depression is
a mood disorder that occurs every year
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during the winter months. A rare form
of seasonal depression, known as “summer depression,” begins in late spring or
early summer and ends in fall. In general, though, SAD starts in fall or winter
and ends in spring or early summer.
While we don’t know the exact
causes of SAD, some practitioners
believe certain hormones produced in
the brain trigger attitude-related changes at certain times of year. Researchers
believe less sunlight during fall and
winter leads to the brain making less
serotonin, a chemical linked to brain
pathways that regulate mood. When
the nerve cell pathways in the brain that
regulate mood don’t function normally,
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the result can be feelings and symptoms
consistent with depression.
There are several treatment options
you should discuss with your primary
care physician. Under certain conditions, the deprivation of light may have
a negative effect on some individuals. In
such cases health care providers encourage people who feel depressed due
to limited exposure to light to spend
more time outside during daylight
hours. For some individuals with SAD,
natural light can relieve or reduce the
symptoms of depression. Light therapy,
also known as phototherapy, may be
beneficial. Other treatment options
include cognitive behavior therapy or
antidepressant medications that may
provide effective treatment.
Talk to your primary care physician
if depression around the holidays is a
concern for you or someone you know.
Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad.
But these feelings are usually short-lived
and pass within a couple of days. When
you have depression, it interferes with
daily life and causes stress and tension
(Miller 2010) for both you and those
with whom you live and work. Some
people with a depressive illness never
seek treatment, but the majority, even
those with the most serious depression, can get better with the treatment
options available today. There are
medications, psychotherapies and other
methods that can be beneficial in treating people with depression.
Sources and Resources
Mann, D. (2015) Emotional Survival
Guide for the Holidays. WebMD.
Available at www.webmd.com/depression/features/emotional-survival-guidefor-holidays
Miller, T.W., Ed. (2010) Handbook of
Stressful Transitions Across the Life
Span. New York: Springer Publishers
Incorporated
WebMD (2015) What is depression?
Available at:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/
depression/index.shtml
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