Across campus in the winter months, it is common to hear complaints about the excessive amounts of snow and the constant clouds that plague our central New York skies. The lack of sunlight, as well as the massive amounts of time spent indoors due to the freezing temperatures, often leave students feeling lethargic or as though they have caught a case of the winter blues. This feeling, although normal, in extreme cases can lead to feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness and even suicidal thoughts. While you might be quick to classify this as depression, many people will fight back on this classification claiming, “but it only happens in the winter, it’s not a big deal. I just get a little sad in the winter.” Well, that is exactly right. It is just SAD, otherwise known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD is a mood disorder subset in which individuals exhibit normal behavior during the majority of year but during specific seasons, most commonly winter, will transition to exhibiting depressive behavioral traits.
Identifying these traits in yourself or in loved ones is essential. The most common symptoms exhibited in winter SAD are loss of interest, withdrawal from social life, oversleeping, overeating, craving carbohydrates, nausea and difficulty making decisions. The cause of this mood disorder is widely debated; however, the most common cause would be either a decrease in serotonin or serotonin polymorphisms. Another common belief is that SAD is associated with the overproduction of melatonin, which is produced by the pineal gland in dim light and darkness.
Hamilton College Student Body President and active member working with the Mental Health Task Force, Nadav Konforty ’20, urges students to recognize the importance of identifying SAD: “SAD is key to recognize in the conversation surrounding mental health and general wellness. SAD is very much a real thing, and it is imperative that we as a community realize that many of our peers are prone to it, have dealt with it, and will have to deal with it. There is no shame in SAD, but in order to work on how we can better support students with SAD, we must first commit to acknowledge and validate it.”
There are many ways to prevent and fight SAD naturally without the involvement of a professional psychiatrist or therapist. For one, there is what is known as the “happy light.” This light works to mimic sunlight and is known as “light therapy.” These so called “happy lamps” emit far more lumens than the ordinary incandescent lamp. This has shown to be more effective when the patient sits directly in front of the lamp for about 30–60 minutes a day. This sounds like a burden until you consider how long you sit at your desk doing homework, browsing Facebook, even watching Netflix. Simply turn the lamp on whenever you are sitting at your desk. Patients have found this to have a positive on their mood as soon as the first week of use, only to improve as the weeks of use continue.
Additionally, in the winter months it is essential to exercise, whether that be in the gym, tossing around a football with friends or even going to Rockin’ Jump in New Hartford. Gavin Meade ’20, a Minds For Change representative, liaison for mental health in Student Assembly as well as a student who works directly with Dean Chase on the Mental Health Taskforce offers his experience and opinion on the effects and responses to Seasonal Affective Disorder. “This is my second winter away from sunny Florida and I certainly empathize with and understand how SAD can affect my peers. In the time that I have spent working with the various mental health organizations that I am involved with, it is certainly heartening to see the increased focus and attention on some of the lesser-talked about facets of mental health. In the first winter that I was here it was difficult to get motivated to stay in shape and luckily I was able to rely on my friends to push me. This year, I have been able to be much better about managing my health. I encourage anyone who feels as though they may be struggling with SAD to understand that it is real and you are not alone and I urge you to reach out to friends, professors or the counseling center for the help that everyone needs at some point.”
More than this, curb the carbs. Many people suffering from SAD symptoms admit to a large consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods, often seen as comfort foods. These include bagels, muffins, cookies, mac and cheese, etc. This often worsens their mood as they are not consuming enough nutrient-and-protein rich foods. Especially in the winter months, it is important to increase the intake of fruits, vegetables and proteins. In addition to this, supplementing with daily vitamins, namely vitamin B, are known to improve an individual’s overall mood.
While there are many ways in which an individual can help themselves in cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder, it is important to know when it is the time to turn to a professional for help with your condition. Medical professionals are able to prescribe selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). If your symptoms begin to interfere with your work or relationships, you find yourself feeling despair or hopeless about the future, as well as having suicidal ideation, a weight gain of 15–20 pounds, it is time to seek professional help. Former researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health and author of Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder and The Emotional Revolution, Norman E. Rosenthal, MD said “It [SAD] is a matter of degree and a matter of dysfunction, versus unpleasantness or inconvenience.”
