Is there a winter depression also in summer?

No. By definition, winter depression occurs in winter. As described above, it is assumed that the lack of daylight plays a greater role. Seasonal depression can recur at any time, but it does not occur in summer. If a depression, which up to now has only occurred in the winter months, also occurs in summer, it can by definition no longer be called seasonal depression or winter depression.

Differential diagnoses

There are quite a few diseases that can also (at least partially) show the above mentioned symptoms. Typically one has to think of:

Depressive episode
Schizophrenia
Physical diseases (e.g. anemia, thyroid diseases, infections, etc.). However, this type of disease can often be detected and treated by means of physical and blood tests.

Therapy

As is the case with many diseases, the symptoms and their intensity determine the therapy. Starting from the causes of winter depression, however, it is above all the supply of light (light therapy) that should be at the beginning of a treatment. If this is not sufficient, the patient must be discussed about a drug-based antidepressive treatment.Depending on the severity of the depression, drug treatment may be necessary.

There are various active ingredients available for this purpose. The importance of vitamin D was already explained in the previous section. Up-to-date there are still no sufficient indications that Vitamin D has a positive effect in the treatment of depressions, so that it is not yet recommended as standard therapy.

In patients with a too low vitamin D level, however, vitamin D substitution can be used as a therapeutic attempt. In the case of severe or moderate depression, drug-based antidepressant therapy is usually necessary. This does not differ from the drug therapy of non-seasonal depression.

The first-choice drugs used are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). These include citalopram, escitalopram and sertraline (e.g. Zoloft®). There are other groups of drugs used in antidepressant therapy, such as tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, opipramol), selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (reboxetine), selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (venlafaxine, duloxetine), MAO inhibitors (moclobemide, tranylcipromine) and the active ingredients mirtazapine and mianserin.

The treating psychiatrist decides which drug is best used depending on the patient’s medical history, previous drug treatment and previous illnesses. Would you like to find out more about this topic? Then you might also be interested in the following: These drugs help against depressionJohn’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a herbal remedy used as a medicinal plant.

The part of St. John’s wort that is effective is hypericin. St. John’s wort is used to treat mild to moderate depression and in the treatment of anxiety. In current guidelines for the treatment of depression, St. John’s wort is mentioned as a therapeutic option in the sense of a first therapeutic attempt to treat mild to moderate depression.

To date, there are not enough qualitatively satisfactory studies that prove the effectiveness of St. John’s wort, especially in comparison with antidepressants. St. John’s wort can be purchased over the counter from pharmacies. It is often used independently by patients with slight depressions.

However, it is important to note that St. John’s wort, although it is a herbal remedy, has numerous interactions with other medications. The doctor treating the patient should therefore be informed about the use of St. John’s wort. Otherwise, St. John’s wort can lead to an over- or underdosage of certain medications with serious complications.

Increased light sensitivity of the skin should also be taken into account. In homeopathy, numerous remedies are listed which can be used in winter depression. They are attributed to an increase in drive and a brightening of the mood.

However, their effect is controversial due to the low dosage of the active ingredients and they are therefore only suitable for the treatment of mild depression. If there is no visible improvement of the symptoms or if there are any uncertainties, a doctor should be consulted in any case to discuss further action. Among the homeopathically used remedies for winter depression are for example Arsenicum album (arsenic), Aurum (gold), Calcium carbonicum (calcium carbonate), Carbo vegetabilis (charcoal), Causticum (caustic lime), Helleborus (snow rose), Ignatia (Ignatius bean), Lycopodium (lycopodium), Srium muriaticum (table salt), Phosphoricum acidum (phosphoric acid), Pulsatilla pratensis (pasque flower), Rhus toxicodendron (poison ivy), Sepia officinalis (squid), Stannum metallicum (tin), Sulphur (sulphur) and Veratrum album (white hellebore).

Which remedy is appropriate in each individual case and how it should be used is known by the homeopath of confidence. What is light therapy? In light therapy, the patient sits in front of a so-called “light shower” at a distance of 50 – 90cm.

This is a special lamp whose light is similar to sunlight. It must have a luminosity of at least 2,500 lux. Modern devices used in light therapy often even have a luminosity of about 10,000 lux (equivalent to the luminosity of 10,000 candles).

The patient now sits in front of this lamp with open eyes and looks into the light for a few seconds.Then he looks to the ground or into a book in order not to strain or damage his eyes too much. In the following 20-30 minutes, the patient should then look fully into the light for a few seconds every minute. A total of one session per day should take place, and this should be for at least a few days.

It has been shown that the results achieved are better if the session takes place immediately after getting up (immediate signal to stop melatonin production). Light therapy is also used quite successfully for other forms of depression. Side effects include occasional sleep disturbances, headaches and in very rare cases (hypo-) manias (see also the topic mania).

However, attention must be paid to possible medication that is taken parallel to light therapy. Quite a few medications (also herbal ones such as St. John’s wort) increase light sensitivity and can thus possibly cause skin damage. St. John’s wort in particular is often prescribed by doctors as a herbal therapy for mild winter depression.

You should therefore always talk to your doctor about long-term medication and light therapy. You can find more information about St. John’s wort under our St. John’s wort topic. Other measures for the treatment of winter depression include outdoor exercise (especially early morning sports and long walks) and a “winter escape vacation”, during which the “critical” months are spent (at least in part) in countries with a higher probability of sunshine.

In the case of physical activity, there are two main mechanisms that have an effect. On the one hand, daylight has a positive effect on serotonin secretion, and on the other, regular exercise increases general body awareness, which in principle also has an antidepressive effect. Endurance sports in particular have proven to be particularly effective in raising serotonin levels.

Which lamp can help? Light therapy is offered by most psychiatric clinics or institutions. But nowadays, even the private purchase of a suitable lamp is affordable.

It should be ensured that the lamp has a sufficient luminous intensity (at least 2,500, better 10,000 Lux) and a UV filter. The UV filter is however nowadays available with nearly all usual devices. Reasonable devices can be bought from about 100 Euro.

Does the solarium also help? No, on the contrary. With a light therapy lamp the harmful UV light is filtered out since it concerns only the daylight portion in the light.

In the Solarium however the UV light is desired, since it causes a browning of the skin. In solariums you should usually wear protective goggles because the light is harmful to the eyes. It is also harmful to the skin if it is used in excess. The solarium is therefore in no case an alternative to light therapy.