Feeling Blue This Winter?

Shorter days and less natural light make winter trying for many. Some are affected more than others experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a mood disorder associated with depression related to seasonal variations of light. It affects half a million people every winter between September and April, peaking in December, January and February. The “Winter Blues” a milder form of SAD, may affect even more people (mentalhealthamerica.net).

Signs of SAD:

• Change in behavior or feeling depressed when there is less light, during the winter months or in light-deficient locations
• Sluggishness or inability to function
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• A reduced ability to handle stress
• Not finding pleasure in otherwise enjoyable events
• A change in appetite. Either increased or no appetite

 “People who have noticed these symptoms at least twice in their lives should go for a consultation,” commented Ronald Brenner, MD, chief of CHS’s behavioral health services and director of psychiatry at Mercy Medical Center. “Assistance can be fairly simple; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

SAD may be alleviated through:

• Exercise— not only beneficial in itself but also gets someone with SAD outdoors or into well-lit indoor environments
• A well-balanced diet to counter cravings for sweets or starches
• Stress management techniques, including mindfulness—in-the-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, sensations and immediate surroundings—and meditation
• Psychotherapy
• Antidepressants, including buproprion, may be prescribed before winter begins, for patients with severe depression 
• Travel to warm, sunny regions
• Light therapy“Patients respond to light therapy, either from natural outdoor light or using one of the many light boxes available in the marketplace,” explained Dr. Brenner. “White light is believed to be better than blue, and both fluorescent and LED-based light boxes have been found to be effective.”

Mercy’s outpatient clinic in Garden City offers psychotherapy and other expert services to address mood disturbances such as SAD, as well as treatment for a wide range of mental and behavioral health issues. For information on this and other resources or to find a doctor near you, visit www.chsli.org or call 1-855-CHS-4500.