Gloomy weather increases depression cases in students
Seasonal affective disorder, more commonly known as seasonal depression, can effect up to 5 percent of adults and up to 20 percent can have some symptoms, but psychologists say there is more to seasonal depression than feeling sad between November and February.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is more a part of regular depression, rather than being a disorder all on its own, said Mark Nafziger, a psychologist working in the counseling and psychological services department at USU. He said it is difficult to identify cases of pure SAD because usually if someone claims they get depressed in the winter, there are usually depressive tendencies the rest of the year and it’s just that winter is an added stressor in their lives, so symptoms can become more severe.
Thorana Nelson, who works in the marriage and family therapy clinic, said seasonal depression has become too big of a deal in society and people are making it out to be more than it actually is.
“People expect to get it now so they do, there are so many factors that go into SAD that most people don’t understand,” Nelson said.
Nafziger said, “I have seen very few cases I would consider pure seasonal depression where they are perfectly fine the rest of the year and really depressed between November and February. However, there have certainly been people that I would say tend to get depressed in the winter time each year.”
However, David Stein, a professor and psychologist, said SAD is very real and is a subtype of major depressive disorder. He said there are certain factors that have to happen before someone will be diagnosed with SAD. A person has to have recurring episodes for two years and it is directly related to weather change, not other outside sources.
“Depression often occurs in episodes but this pattern is predominant during a seasonal change,” Stein said.
Joey McKnight, a public relations major, believes he suffers from SAD to some extent because of how different winters are in Cache Valley compared to his home town in North Carolina.
“We never got snow,” McKnight said, “schools would close down at the threat of snow. It never got nearly as cold as it does here.”
It is his third winter here in Utah and McKnight said as far as snow is concerned he has gotten use to it, but still has problem with the dreariness of the valley.
“When there is no sun for so long it is depressing. It is very doom and gloom,” McKnight said. “Whenever we go through cloudy weather it feels like the world is closing in on you.”
Nafziger said it is all about the source of where the depression comes from that sets it apart from regular depression. There are environmental sources like stress, doing poorly in school or difficulties in relationships, and there are biological sources that can come from having family members who have depression. Nafziger said usually what affects most people are the environmental sources. He said something relatively small can happen but because it isn’t dealt with, it can grow into something more serious. He said the problem with SAD is that is can cause a “snowballing effect”.
“Sometimes what I see here is people become unmotivated to get out of bed or do any work in the winter time and after a few weeks of that they are now behind on school and are possibly facing failing or having to drop the class. This then leads to even more stress which can increase depressive symptoms,” Nafziger said.
McKnight said he notices a change in his demeanor as a student during spring semester when the weather outside is still cloudy and dark.
“I definitely notice a change, going to classes is a lot harder and I have a hard time focusing. I take between two and four hot showers a day to stay warm and go tanning a lot just to get some light, I have noticed that helps,” McKnight said.
Nafziger said whatever the causes of depression, after a month or longer it starts to change brain chemicals.
“Biologically based depression isn’t the only form that can change brain chemicals. If you have something really difficult or painful that happens to you, that sadness is coming from the social environment but it effects your brain chemicals if it goes untreated,” Nafziger said.
He said the minority of people are depressed biologically. People who have more vulnerability are more likely to become depressed. Nafziger said to “look in your family and see if there are people who suffer from depression, treated or not, and if so, you may be more vulnerable to stress than the average person.”
Nafziger said talking to someone can be very beneficial because many times, there are underlying causes of depression that intensify during the winter months.
“It is more common that there is a vulnerability that is there and then the seasonal component makes it worse,” Nafziger said. “If a person feels like it is really serious they should come in and talk to someone, we sometimes prescribe them medication that can help.”
Stein said as soon as someone experiences a “loss of pleasure” and once that mood starts to take over school or “when you isolate yourself from your friends and regular activities or turn to alcohol or prescription medication, that is the time when you should seek help.”
Nafziger said depression is one of the more common categories he deals with in the student counseling services and a lot of different situations can cause symptoms of depression, but “once it starts having a negative impact on your life then it is identified as an actual disorder.”
Nafziger said all the symptoms of SAD are the same as depression.
“Feelings of fatigue, difficult concentrating, difficulties with sleep – either insomnia or sleeping too much – are all symptoms,” Nafziger said.
“The more severe the depression, the more symptoms can arise, such as losing appetite or having an increase in appetite which could then lead to either weight gain or weight loss.”
The methods of treating SAD are also similar to those used for other forms of depression. Nafziger said any kind of physical activity, aerobic exercises and “doing all the things you normally like to do and what you find enjoyable,” are all effective and useful. Another treatment doctors and psychologists recommend is light therapy.
“Exposing yourself to light is one of the main things you can do if you feel like you suffer from seasonal depression,” Nafziger said. “There are full-spectrum lights you can buy that they say is equivalent to what you would get through a good-sized window on a spring day.”
He also said just going outside for a few hours and “exposing your eyes to sunshine can be very beneficial.” He said to make sure to not wear sunglasses because the eyes are how the effects of light get through to your brain.
Nafziger found that SAD is two to three times more likely in women than in men, which he said makes sense because regular depression is two times more likely to affect women than men. Stein added that young adults have more of a significant problem with SAD than adults do.
– megan.b@aggiemail.usu.edu